High Jump

HAGERSTOWN -- Southern's Antwon Jones captured the county's first region title by clearing 6 feet to win the high jump at yesterday's Class 2A-3A West Region championships at Hagerstown Junior College.Broadneck, the county's only other representative at the meet, finished fifth in the boys team competition which was dominated by Wilde Lake.Jarrod Nagowski and Dorain Watkins led the way for the Bruins, finishing second and third, respectively, in the high jump, and teammate Walt Wagner helped out by placing third in the shot put with a toss of 45 feet, 3 1/4 inches.

Gilman's formula for success over the past several seasons in track and field involves using a number of talented athletes who can score points in a variety of events. Peter Merritt is a model of that formula. At the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association championship meet, the senior anchored the winning 1,600- and 3,200-meter relay teams. He also won the high jump and the 800. All in all, he helped Gilman score 40 points as the Greyhounds rolled to a fourth straight team title.

Victor Gilreath has become quite adept at multitasking. For the past three weeks, the Western Tech senior has had to compete in the high jump and shot put simultaneously - first at the Baltimore County championships and then at the Class 1A North regional meet. Making a few jumps, changing his shoes, racing over to the shot put pit, and making a few heaves with nary a glance at what the competition is doing is challenging, but Gilreath isn't complaining about the results. Yesterday, Gilreath captured his first state crown when he cleared 6 feet, 4 inches in the high jump on the first day of the Class 1A state championships, which were held in conjunction with the Class 2A division at Morgan State University.

Outdoor track State championships (May 24-26 at Morgan State University) Class 2A Girls team scores: 1. Liberty, 73.5 points; 16. Long Reach, 20; 17. Glenelg, 18; 23. Oakland Mills, 10. Top county individuals: 800: 6. Alyssa Hemler, OM, 2:24.40. 1,600: 3. Julia Nardone, G, 5:14.01. 3,200: 2. Julia Nardone, G, 11:17.20; 7. Caragh MacDermott, G, 11:57.40. 100 hurdles: 6. Cassandra Pope, OM, 15.00.

BARCELONA, Spain -- Four days before the opening ceremonies for the 1988 Summer Olympics, Cuba's Javier Sotomayor broke the world record for the high jump in a meet in Spain. But instead of boarding a plane bound for Seoul, South Korea, as the gold-medal favorite, he returned home as a pawn in a political game that brought him quickly back to earth.When Cuba boycotted the Games in 1988, as it had in 1984, none of its athletes was more deprived than Sotomayor, so dominant in his event that less than a year later he would become the first and, so far, the only person to clear eight feet.

Westminster's Tony Brown wears a headband and knee-high socks to keep the mood light. But on the track, his team is all business. Brown won the 110-meter hurdles and the Owls won both the boys and girls competitions in dismal, rainy weather at the Carroll County Track and Field championship yesterday at Western Maryland College. "My teammates lighten my intensity up a little bit because of the fact that we have so much power," Brown said. "But I still go out and try my hardest." Westminster's power is attributable to its numbers.

ATLANTA -- The 10-day U.S. Olympic track and field trials took an interesting twist within an hour after they began yesterday at Olympic Stadium.Three-time Olympian and two-time Olympic women's heptathlon gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee twisted her left ankle on her first attempt at the high jump."

They got around to handing out the hardware (the medals, plaques and trophies) in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association indoor track championships yesterday at Essex Community College and, surprise, the same individuals who have dominated the meets all winter were there with their hands out. Double winners included Allen McDavid of Calvert Hall in the dash (60) and long sprint (300), and Kelly Zuknick of Spalding, who completed an 8-0 blitz in the mile and 2-mile in the league.

Any celebrating Arundel might have done for winning the Class 4A East boys title at North County was muted by the disqualification of one of its top athletes. County high jump champion Brian Devaul was disqualified from that event for unsportsmanlike conduct, which also eliminates him from that event at the state meet. Despite that, Arundel edged county rival Old Mill, 93-92, to win the 4A East regional. Westminster finished third in the boys meet (80), followed by C. Milton Wright and Broadneck.

Two months ago, Greg McCormick of Middletown High School didn't know when his next jump or vault might be. The junior had broken a bone in his neck while competing and his career hung in the balance. It was a career that had promise of being more than ordinary after McCormick scaled 7 feet in the high jump and 15 feet in the pole vault. Following an operation, rehabilitation and convalescence, McCormick got back to competition just last week at the Region 2A West meet. He qualified in his specialties, plus the long jump.

The senior captain capped his four-year varsity career with four victories at the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association track and field championships. He ran the anchor leg of the 3,200-meter relay team, which set a conference record, was the best time in the state this year and was fifth fastest in the country (7:42.61). He also anchored the winning 1,600 relay (3:23.42) and won the 800 (1:55.80) and the high jump (6 feet, 1 inch). The performance helped Gilman to its fourth consecutive undefeated season and MIAA title.

Et cetera Booker, Brown star in Tiger Bowl II Senior running back Dominique Booker scored two touchdowns as a member of the Black team and Navassa Brown (Franklin), normally a wide receiver, had a game-high 141 rushing yards for the White team, as the Black won Towson's Tiger Bowl II, 21-7. The program's annual spring game was played Saturday before an announced 1,564 at Johnny Unitas Stadium. Sophomore running back Terrance West (Northwestern)

Pikesville Track Classic Results (Saturday at Pikesville) BOYS Team scores (top 5): 1. Reservoir, 68; 2. Wilde Lake, 61; 3. Mount Hebron, 51; 4. (tie) McDonogh, Old Mill, 42. 100-meter dash: 1. Wilson (WL), 11.04; 2. Wagner (OM), 11.06; 3. Lane (CAT), 11.07. 110 hurdles: 1. Woods (CEN), 14.63; 2. Haley (MH), 14.63; 3. Ricks (CAR), 15.50. 200: 1. Motta (RES), 22.16; 2. Akosa (WES), 22.51; 3. Randlett-Tydings (CAT), 22.60.

Colleges Maryland's Barbiasz takes fifth in high jump at NCAAs Maryland junior Dwight Barbiasz finished fifth in the high jump at the NCAA outdoor track and field championships in Des Moines, Iowa. Barbiasz cleared 7feet, 21/2inches to garner four points for the Terps. cruised through his first four jumps and needed only one extra attempt to clear 7-21/2 before ultimately tripping up at the 7-33/4 mark, his personal best. Baseball: Towson has signed two more players to its baseball recruiting class — outfielder Richie Blosser of North Caroline (Md.)

When Dwight Barbiasz attempted the New Hampshire state-record high jump, the entire track meet halted to watch. Normally, with more eyes comes added pressure. For Barbiasz, it was extra motivation. He nailed it. "He told me he wasn't nervous," said Chris Barbiasz, Dwight's father. "He said it helped him jump higher. " The younger Barbiasz isn't one to shrink from a challenge. Coming out of Milford (N.H.) High School, he had plenty of high-profile suitors for his leaping services.

The top-ranked Western girls and No. 7 Carver boys won the championships at the Baltimore City track and field title meet Saturday at Mervo. Western repeated as champion, winning nine events and finishing with 195 points to outlast Poly (161) and No. 7 Digital Harbor (113). The Doves got a big performance from Ajada Thomas, who won the long jump, triple jump, high jump and ran on the victorious 800-meter relay. Carver had an easier time, posting 183.5 points and easily beating Poly (102)

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - There had never been anything like it at the U.S. track and field trials for the Olympics. At one end of Cal State Sacramento's Hornet Stadium, Chad Harting, Derek Miles and Pat Manson engaged in a jump-off to see who would get the third and final American berth in the pole vault. At the other end, Amy Acuff and Tisha Waller jumped off for the third spot in the women's high jump. It was the make-or-break system of the trials crystallized. Survive, and go to Sydney, Australia, for the 2000 Olympics.

No. 2 Western had a memorable indoor season, capping it by winning a state championship. The Doves found the same success in outdoor track Saturday, scoring a victory against a tough field at the Pikesville Track Classic. The Doves finished with 77 points to easily beat Oxon Hill (52), No. 9 Old Mill (51) and No. 1 McDonogh (50). Relays played a big part in the Western victory as the Doves won two, the 400 and 3,200 meters, and took second in the 1,600 and third in the 800. They also got some good individual performances from Desiree Vaughn, who won the 200 (25.17)