Sundevil Track Meet Features San Diego’s Best

SAN DIEGO —  Laura Chapel, Tracy Crawford, Lori Parker and Jackie Anderson--four of the best high school girls’ track athletes in San Diego County--are scheduled to compete Saturday in the Sundevil Invitational, which begins at 12:30 p.m. at Mount Carmel High’s all-weather track.

That’s not unusual. Most of the best athletes in the county have competed in the meet the last eight years.

But these four are also among the best in the nation.

Chapel of University City won the 1,600 meters last Saturday at the Arcadia Invitational with a time of 4 minutes, 50.14 seconds, the best in the nation this year. Chapel also won the 800 meters. Her time of 2:11.91 is the second best in the country.

Darcy Arreola of Grossmont finished second and third, respectively, in the 1,600 (4:51.58) and 800 (2:13.39). But Arreola will not be at the meet Saturday. She will be competing in a meet in Las Vegas.

Shannon Clark of San Jose Mountain View and Tracey Williams of Mountain View High School will challenge Chapel. Clark is the defending state champion in the 1,600, and Williams finished second to Arreola in the 1,600 at the Michelob Invitational earlier this year. Chapel was third at the Michelob.

The closest competition could be in the girls’ discus. Parker of Ramona threw 153-feet 6-inches earlier this year, but the mark did not count as a San Diego Section record because it was in a dual meet. Saturday morning, she threw a national best and San Diego Section record of 150-3 in the Mustang Relays at San Dieguito. The record lasted for less than five hours.

Crawford of Southwest threw 153-8 at the Arcadia meet to beat Parker’s mark and section record.

Add to these two Lil Ili of Nogales, who won the state title last year with a throw of 162-2. Ili’s best throw this year is 150-7.

Anderson of Mount Miguel set a national high school indoor record of 41-0 1/2 at the Michelob Invitational. She has jumped a national best of 40-6 outdoors this year.

The boys’ competition may not feature any national leaders, but does have some of the best in the state.

Brian Boggess of El Capitan has thrown 57-11 3/4 in the shotput and 174-8 in the discus, both third in the state. Boggess will compete against Kamy Keshmiri of Reno, Nev., who threw 199 feet to win at Arcadia.

Matt Farmer of Monte Vista has San Diego County best in the triple jump (46-6) by more than a foot, but his best jump is still nearly two feet behind Trini Woods of Hawthorne (48-2), who also will compete.

Other boys to watch include: Curt Brown of San Pasqual (15-0) and Ramona’s Pat Alduenda (14-6) in the pole vault; the Patrick Henry 400-meter relay team (42.38); Mark Dani of Valhalla in the 1,600 meters (4:10) and Monte Vista’s Erik Peterson in the high jump (6-8 1/2).