Pile Puts Best Foot Forward to Claim CSUN Triple Jump

Had Lolita Pile used the shoes she originally brought to the Cal State Northridge Invitational track and field meet Saturday, her triple jump approach would have approximated the shape of a banana.

Pile, usually meticulous in her preparation for a meet, accidentally stuffed two left shoes into her tote bag and, upon discovery, sent a teammate sprinting to her dormitory to correct the blunder.

“It was just a fluke thing,” CSUN assistant coach Tony Veney said. “It was laughable. She had this sheepish look on her face like she had gotten her hand caught in the cookie jar.”

It was clear from her performance in the triple jump, however, that Pile had promptly regained her footing. For the first time in her career, Pile surpassed 41 feet on each of her three jumps. Her winning 41-foot, 11 1/2-inch mark was a quarter-inch shy of the school record.

Despite a recent injury which left her nursing a sore hamstring, Pile also won her 200-meter race in a personal-record 25.01 seconds. And, as if that was not enough, Pile ran a leg on the Lady Matadors’ mile relay team, which finished fourth in 4:06.54.

“I feel like I’m not doing anything for myself or my team when all I do is triple (jump),” she said. “I feel somewhat useless.”

Darcy Arreola’s opponents are well acquainted with that feeling. Arreola, of CSUN, took an early lead and cruised to victory in the 1,500 in 4:21.9--almost 15 seconds faster than the next finisher.

“I felt really good,” Arreola said. “But this was kind of like a workout. I’d much rather come out, run a (personal record) and lose.”

That is almost what she did in her second race Saturday. In her first 800 of the season, Arreola placed second to Rose Monday in 2:06.98. She was happy with the time despite the finish.

“I was hoping to run in the 2:07’s so I was happy about it,” Arreola said. “The (1,500) wasn’t that fun and it took some out of me.”

CSUN Coach Don Strametz says Arreola had problems with a flailing right arm in the 1,500. In the 800, however, she was able to draw her elbow tighter to her side.

“She had it just where she was supposed to in the last race,” Strametz said. “Everything was in proper position.”

Jackie Poe, a freshman at CSUN, improved her personal best in the 400 hurdles by nearly two seconds. Although Poe’s time of 1:03.2 is 1.3 seconds short of a Division II qualifying time, it moves her into fourth on the school’s all-time freshman list.

“Her long-legged stride is really deceptive,” Veney said of Poe. “She can really eat it up and that’s what she did over the last five hurdles.”

A newly-formed 400 relay team comprising Poe, Saedia Washington, Angie Vercher and Alicia Bell won its heat in 49.7. The team competed in place of Northridge’s first team. The runners, nicknamed “The Scabs” by Veney in reference to their role as replacements, had not practiced baton exchanges until Friday.

Other Matador season bests included Vercher’s triple jump (37-10 3/4), Laural Isles’ 200 (25.15) and Mary Coleman’s 400 (56.30).

Valley College’s Mikywa Prevost finished second in her 100 race in 12.27 and fourth in the 200 (25.15).

The men’s division of the meet will be contested today at 9 a.m.