
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, April 24, 1993                   TAG: 9304240099
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Staff report
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

TRACK'S BEST FEATURED AT ALL-AMERICA

Christiansburg's boys and Blacksburg's girls are among the favorites today as they try to defend their All-America Relays titles.

The annual meet at Radford High starts at 10 a.m. and is the first big track and field meet in Timesland this year.

There will be 24 boys teams and 21 girls teams entered, up from last year but not as large as two years ago.

Christiansburg's boys will get their toughest competition from Northside and Harrisonburg. Blacksburg's girls will have to fight Harrisonburg, Tazewell and Laurel Park for the crown.

The Blue Demons will be led by distance runners Jeremy Cosgriff (3,200 meters) and Jimmy Osborne (1,600 meters) along with hurdler Ron Lewis.

Neither Cosgriff nor Osborne are the favorites in their events, but they should score points. Patrick County's James Clanton is favored in the 1,600 while Virginia High's Richard Walls is tops in the 3,200.

Northside has its strongest team in years, paced by 800-meter runner Jonathan Stewart and shot putter John Huffman. Stewart, like Osborne, must catch Clanton to win his event, but Huffman is favored in the shot. The Vikings also have three of the four teams with the best times in the four relay events.

Blacksburg is led by Katie Ollendick, who might be the meet's premier athlete. Ollendick, who will attend Virginia on a track and field scholarship, is defending Group AA state titlist in the 400-meter dash and high jump.

Laurel Park is led by Valencia Eggleston, who is strong in the triple and long jumps as well as the 300-meter hurdles.

Timesland has a number of other strong performers including Salem's Keith Moyer (dash events), and Alleghany's Shawn Burks (100-meter hurdles) and Michael Hunter (100-meter hurdles and triple jump) for the boys.

For the girls, Christiansburg's Carrie Porterfield and Bethany Eigel (distance events), Blacksburg's Lynn Price and Sarah Hendricks (distance events), Marion's Julie Pickle (triple jump and 300-meter hurdles), and Salem's Michelle Brown (1,600 meters) should do well today.

by CNB