WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 1999

Track shows improvement

By Rory Barnett

On-Line Forty-Niner

The Long Beach State track and field team traveled to USC last weekend for the Trojan Invitational hoping for some improved performances, and the team was not disappointed.

With a field that included the University of California, Cal State Fullerton, and USC, The Beach prevailed.

Leslie Smith finished first and recorded a personal best in the pole vault with a mark of 11 feet 6 inches. Jeni Peyton also set a personal best with a mark of 10 feet.

In the women's long jump, Marion Reneau finished first with a measurement of 18 feet 7 1/4 inches. In the women's high jump, Tayyiba Haneef finished first along with Women of Troy's Nicole Haynes with a mark of 5 feet 6 inches.

In the women's 100 meters, Amaris Buchanan finished in third with a time of 11.60 seconds, .30 seconds behind the 1998 National High School Athlete of the Year, Angela Williams. Buchanan's mark was also a personal best.

"Amaris stumbled in the starting blocks, but recovered and caught back up with the field," said 49er track coach Andy Sythe.

Jeff Truman finished third with a mark of 15 feet, and Darby Kelly finished sixth with a mark of 13-6 inches, both competed in the pole vault event.

In the men's hammer, Jon O'Neil threw 51- 10 1/2 inches, which placed him third in the event. O'Neil also finished out on top in the men's discus with a distance of 188 feet 7 inches, which qualified him for the NCAA national outdoor championships in June.

Kashus Perona finished second in heat one of the 400 meters with 46.91 seconds. Brian Carson finished first in heat two with 48.34 seconds and Tyrone Pearson finished second with 48.62 seconds. Each time was a personal best for each athlete in the event.

In the first heat of the men's 200 meters, Lewis Young finished second with 21.42 seconds while Perona finished fourth with 21.59 seconds. In heat two, Carson topped the field with 22.10 seconds, and in heat three, Tyrone Pearson finished first with 22.1 seconds.

The next track meet is the Ben Brown Invitational Saturday in Fullerton, and also this weekend is the Occidental Decathlon/Heptathlon in Eagle Rock, Calif.