By Throwing Weight Around, Moorpark Could Go Distance

Moorpark College will have a relatively small contingent of six athletes competing in the state junior college women’s track and field championships at Bakersfield College today and Saturday.

But the Raiders could loom large in the team standings, thanks to sophomores Amy Thiel and Angela Foster, and freshmen Melissa McBain and Jeanene Gerry.

Thiel is favored to win the shotput and discus and battle Foster for the hammer throw title.

Foster, who has signed with Purdue, set a national community college record of 185 feet in winning the hammer in the Southern California final on May 6 and could team with Thiel to give Moorpark a 1-2 finish in the shotput.

McBain, state leader in the 1,500 meters at 4:41.76, is favored to win that event and Gerry could contend in the 10,000 tonight and in the 5,000 on Saturday.

“If we have a great meet, we could win four events,” Coach Doni Green of Moorpark said. “That’s 40 points right there, and if we go 1-2 in the hammer and shot, and Jeanene gets a couple of thirds, we’re close to 70 points.”

It’s unlikely 70 points will win the meet, but it could help Moorpark duplicate its third-place finish in the Southern California championships.

Joy Dougherty, who placed fourth in the 400 low hurdles in the Southern California meet, and Ebony Haggans, who tied for sixth in the high jump, are the other Moorpark women entrants in the meet that starts at 11 a.m. today with the heptathlon 100 high hurdles and at 9 a.m. Saturday with the decathlon 110 high hurdles.

Kim Lorimer of Glendale is expected to contend in the 3,000, as is Tee Noble of Ventura in the high jump and Susie Back of Valley in the javelin.

Contenders in the men’s meet are Jorge Banuelos of Glendale, who won the 3,000 steeplechase in a career-best 9:31.89 in the Southern California championships; Ray Carmel of Moorpark, who was second in the long jump in 23-8 3/4, and Jeremy Jackson of Moorpark, who tied for third in the high jump at 6-8.

Moorpark, which also has entrants in the 400 intermediate hurdles and 400 and 1,600 relays, should contend for a top-10 finish in the team standings.

The Raiders were initially credited with a 10th-place finish in the Southern California championships, but were moved up to seventh after it was discovered they were not credited with four points for finishing fifth in the 400 relay.