Demus Breaks Her National Record

Hurdler Lashinda Demus of Long Beach Wilson High had a feeling she would set another national record this season.

She just didn’t believe it would happen Saturday afternoon at the Southern Section track and field championships at Cerritos College in Norwalk.

The senior broke her national record in the 300-meter low hurdles, which she set in April at the Reedley Invitational, and became the first high school girl to finish the event in less than 40 seconds.

Her time of 39.98 seconds was 3.64 seconds faster than Tunishia Johnson of Long Beach Poly, who had the second fastest overall time of the meet.

It wasn’t as if Demus thought a record was out of the question.

“I knew I was going to run fast,” she said. “It was just a matter of timing and strength and it all came together today.”

Demus, who has signed a letter of intent with the University of South Carolina, also ran the second leg of Wilson’s 400-meter relay team that finished first in Division I in a meet-record time of 45.10 seconds.

She also had an impressive victory in the 100 high hurdles in 13.69 seconds and finished third in the 100 meters in 11.69 seconds.

Her efforts, however, weren’t nearly enough for Long Beach Wilson to win the Division I team title.

That went to cross-town rival, Long Beach Poly, which had 107 points, 30 ahead of second-place Riverside North. Wilson had 76 points.

Poly was led by freshman Shalonda Solomon, who won the 100 in 11.37 seconds and the 200 in 23.22 seconds.

She also turned in a blistering anchor leg of 53.2 seconds on Poly’s 1,600 relay team that won in 3:39.81. It was the second fastest time in the nation this year.

Considering how she felt before the meet, Solomon said she was surprised by her performance.

“I was amazed with what I did,” she said. “I was a little nervous for my first race but then I kind of settled down.”

Candace Baucham of the Jackrabbits, who has signed with UCLA, won the triple jump with a leap of 42-1 1/2 and finished second in the long jump at 18-5 1/4.

Poly made it a sweep in Division I by winning the boys’ title with 69 points.

The Jackrabbits were sparked by their 400 relay team that won in 41.59 seconds and 1,600 relay team that was first in 3:15.55.

In Division II, Cerritos Gahr won the girls’ title behind a brilliant effort by Angel Perkins. The junior won the 100 in 11.45 seconds, the 200 in 23.48 and the 400 in 53.02. Tustin won its second boys’ Division II title in five years with 49 points.

Pomona Diamond Ranch won it first title in boys’ Division III with 40 points, three ahead of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame. Corona del Mar repeated as girls’ Division III champion with 52 points, one more than Pasadena Muir.