Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 22, 1990 TAG: 9004220126
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
Price, a Christiansburg High senior, not only won the event, but exceeded her personal best in the event by 2 feet at the rainy 21st edition of the All American Relays at Radford High.
"Maybe it's natural hidden talent that I never knew about," she said.
Price, whose best distance ever was 15 feet, 10 1/2 inches, came into the long jump seeded eighth. She sailed a 17-7 Saturday to beat top-seeded Anne Fontaine by more than a foot.
"I've always liked this track," Price said. "Millicent Shabazz [a Radford High graduate who scored 26 1/2 points here last year] is my cousin and I've always wanted to beat her. Maybe today I could have competed with her. I think I'll call her tonight."
Another factor that should have kept Price from performing so well was that she was just getting over a bout with bronchitis that put her in a hospital last week. She was discharged Thursday.
"I can't wait to tell my dad," she said. "He'll say the same thing everybody else has been saying: Maybe I ought to get sick more often."
Although she was disappointed with her performance in the long jump, Fontaine had a big day otherwise, winning three events: the high jump (5-3), the 100-meter hurdles (16.1 seconds) and the 300 hurdles (47.9).
"The wet track made me a little more nervous, but I don't think that it was that much of a factor," she said. "I had my best time ever in the 100 hurdles in the quarterfinals."
In the boys' events, Demond Wesley of Christiansburg won the 100 and 200 and was second in the 400 and long jump (missing first place by a half-inch) to lead the Blue Demons to their third consecutive team title, with 65 points. Bassett was second with 41 points.
In the girls' meet, Blacksburg won two events, the 3,200 relay and the mile relay, but exploited superior depth to take the team title. The Indians scored 65 points to 43 for the Blue Demons.
Hollie Slusser of Christiansburg was clocked in 5:25.9 in the 1,600 and 2:26.1 in the 800, winning both events.
Senior Pam Lemons of Floyd County was first in the 100 and 200 and third in the 400.
As impressive as any single performance was that of Salem's Lori Archer, whose 11:47.7 in the 3,200 set a meet record. It was the only meet record, but considering the conditions, that was not surprising.
In the boys' meet, Christiansburg was the only team to win more than two events. The Demons swept the distance races, with Harley Johnson taking the 1,600 and Brian Eigel the 3,200.
Keywords:
TRACK
by CNB