GIRLS’ TRACK AND FIELD / SEASON PREVIEW : Deep Thousand Oaks Won’t Be Just Another Team Called Jones

Marion Jones has taken her nine state and 10 Southern Section championships to the college ranks at North Carolina, but there is no reason to fret over the health of the girls’ track and field program at Thousand Oaks High.

The Lancers, under the direction of 17th-year Coach Art Green, appear to be doing just fine, thank you.

Thousand Oaks’ chances of winning a Southern Section team title this season--as they did in 1992 with Jones--are slim. There is little hope of the Lancers finishing third in the state championships as they did last year, yet they might have enough depth to win their first Marmonte League title in three years.

“I’m not sure yet how good this team is,” Green said. “When we get everyone together in (Thursday’s meet against Camarillo and Westlake), I’ll have a better idea.

“I would say that we have more depth than before and that should make it easier on the kids. Instead of them having to run in three or four events every meet, they can run in two events this meet and in two events next meet.”

Jones’ departure has brought a refreshing return to normalcy for Green, who frequently found himself besieged last year by college coaches, reporters and other interested parties.

“I think that the telephone calls and the interviews wear on you,” he said. “And that’s nothing against the kid, but it does take a toll on you.”

Aside from the incomparable Jones--who posted marks of 11.13 seconds in the 100, 22.58 in the 200, 52.79 in the 400 and 22 feet 1/2 inch in the long jump--all of Thousand Oaks’ leading performers return from the team that finished third in the league finals behind Agoura and Channel Islands.

Sophomore Kim Mortensen leads the returnees.

Mortensen ran 5:12.74 in the 1,600 meters and 11:05.46 in the 3,200 as a freshman, and followed that with a superb sophomore cross-country season. She placed 10th in the Foot Locker West regional in December.

Fellow sophomore Tara Marsden, who finished 14th in the state Division I cross-country championships, timed 2:22.91 in the 800 and will give the Lancers a potent one-two punch in the distance events.

Sophomore Crystal Crawford has put the shot 34 feet 2 inches, thrown the discus 112-5, and timed 12.8 seconds in the 100, making her one of the Lancers’ top sprinters as well.

Senior Trina Sognnaes has bests of 15-11 in the long jump and 34-2 in the triple jump, junior Kim Robinson has timed 12.8 in the 100 and 26.8 in the 200, and sophomore Michelle Stevenson, who has cleared 5-1 in the high jump, will run the 300 low hurdles.

Senior Jenny House is the Lancers’ top returning 300 hurdler with a personal best of 49.4, and junior Molly Orr has run 16.5 in the 100 high hurdles.

“We’ve got a good, young group of kids,” Green said. “But when you’ve got a group like this, you’ve got to be careful. You don’t want to spread them too thin over too many events. . . .

“If this group (of sophomores and juniors) stays with it and can keep rested, that will really make a difference when they’re seniors.”

Other Teams to Watch

Channel Islands--After finishing second behind Agoura in the Marmonte League finals, the Raiders were tabbed as favorites this year. However, the academic ineligibility of sophomore Sharika Higgins and junior Laquina Moore has hurt their chances.

Higgins was the runner-up to Jones in the 100 and 200 in the league finals. Moore finished second in the 100 highs and also has run 26.58 in the 200.

Channel Islands still fields a strong team led by seniors Delores Tuimoloau and Shawanda Hotchkiss.

Tuimoloau raised her personal best in the shotput to a region record 46-11 1/2 in Saturday’s Ventura Relays and set a Ventura County record of 142-0 in the discus last year.

Hotchkiss has personal bests of 17-1 in the long jump and 35-8 1/2 in the triple jump.

Teammate Dawn Harper set a personal best of 17-1 in the long jump to defeat Hotchkiss by an inch in the Ventura Relays.

Kosha Boyd (26.5 in the 200) and Tamara Anderson (12.7 in the 100) give the Raiders solid, if not spectacular, performances in the sprints, but a group of young, inexperienced hurdlers and distance runners must develop quickly for the Raiders to win the league title.

“It’ll be interesting to see what happens,” first-year Coach Myra Bemis said. “A lot of people have told the girls that we’re not going to be that good this season because we don’t have Sharika and Laquina, but the girls want to prove them wrong.”

Agoura--The two-time defending Marmonte League champions finished second in last year’s Southern Section Division I championships, but without Amy Skieresz, the Chargers’ chances of equaling that feat seem slim.

Skieresz, the two-time defending state Division I cross-country champion and the defending section champion in the 1,600 and 3,200, will not run this season in order to concentrate on raising her grades to meet her parents’ standards.

With Skieresz out, Cathy Prater becomes Agoura’s most valuable performer.

Prater finished third in the 300 low hurdles in last year’s state championships and has a personal best of 44.45 in that event. She has also run 15.4 in the 100 highs, bounded 34-3 1/2 in the triple jump, and has the potential to be a superb performer in the 800.

“The mile and two mile are the only events she hasn’t competed in,” Coach Bill Duley said, “and she could do both of those before the season is over.”

Kay Nekota, runner-up to Skieresz in the 1,600 and 3,200 in last year’s league championships, has personal bests of 5:00.98 in the former and 10:52.68 in the latter.

Kelly Bleiberg, defending league champion in the high jump, has cleared 5-2 in that event, and Carrie Malnekoff gives the Chargers a solid performer in the 400 and long jump with bests of 59.76 and 16-3 1/2.

Rio Mesa--The Spartans lost several key performers to graduation, but Buena Coach Steve Blum says they remain the favorite to win their ninth consecutive Channel League title.

“We’re going to be one of the better dual-meet teams around, but my goal is to not get blown out by them,” Blum said of Rio Mesa. “Last year, they just creamed us.”

Junior Andrea Wasden leads the Spartan sprint and hurdle corps.

Wasden timed 12.6 in the 100, 26.04 in the 200 and 14.98 in the 100 high hurdles as a sophomore, and ran 46.3 in the 300 lows last week in her first race at that distance.

Christina DeVries has personal bests of 5 feet in the high jump, 15-11 in the long jump and 33-9 3/4 in the triple jump.

Aubrey Mescher has run 2:19.50 in the 800, and Susyn Heidenrich (46.42 in the 300 lows) gives the Spartans depth in the hurdles.

Briana Kanongata’a has a best of 107-3 in the discus and Coach Brian FitzGerald says she has the potential to be a 120-foot thrower.

Hart--The Indians won their third consecutive Foothill League title last season and their top 10 point scorers in dual-meet competition return.

Jessica De La Cerda, the defending league champion in the 800, has run 2:19.3 in that event and 5:11.82 in the 1,600.

Nancy James, defending league champion in the 100 and 200, has run 12.6 and 26.7 in those events, and Melissa Dunkerley has bests of 5-2 in the high jump, 15-9 in the long jump and 34 feet in the triple jump.

Karianne Usrey has personal bests of 37-8 3/4 in the shotput and 112-2 in the discus, and is the defending league champion in both events.

Becky Dietz is the defending league champion in the 100 highs (personal best of 16.5) and has bounded 33-2 in the triple jump.

Still, first-year Coach John Ahart is not convinced that Hart should be favored to win its fourth league title in a row.

“Saugus will be real strong in the distance races and Burroughs always seems to have a good team,” he said. “If we stay healthy, we should do OK.”

Buena--FitzGerald calls Buena the Channel League favorite, but Blum disagrees.

“We’re not the ones who have won (eight) titles in the row,” Blum said. “Sounds like Brian’s saying that to get his team motivated.”

Sophomore Stacy Hebert and junior Amy Van Atta are expected to be the Bulldogs’ top performers.

Hebert has a personal best of 45.6 in the 300 lows and finished second in last year’s Southern Section Division II championships.

Van Atta was a Division II finalist in the 1,600 and has bests of 5:12.45 in that event and 2:22.43 in the 800.

Beth McGill (34-0 3/4) and Julianna Rosick (32-2 3/4) give Buena solid depth in the triple jump, as do Gilliam Barkalow (60.9) and Kristi Garza (62.53) in the 400.

Sarah Golden has a best of 110 feet in the discus.

Individuals to Watch

Gabriela Rodriguez (Oxnard)--The Yellowjacket senior was a well-beaten fourth in the 3,200 in the Spartan Relays at Rio Mesa on March 5, but her time of 11:15.57 bodes well for the future. She typically starts the season slowly before reaching her peak in May and June.

Rodriguez started slowly last year, yet ran a personal best of 10:52.34 to finish fourth in the Southern Section Masters Meet and followed with a third-place effort in the state championships.

Kathy Watson (Saugus)--As a sophomore, Watson cleared 5-5 in the high jump and finished second in the Southern Section 4-A Division championships.

As a junior, she improved to 5-7 and won the section Division I title.

This year, she would like to tack another two inches onto her personal best and qualify for the finals of the state meet for the first time.