DATE: Sunday, April 13, 1997                TAG: 9704130204

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C10  EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JAMES C. BLACK, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   48 lines

GIRLS RUN AWAY WITH NORFOLK INVITATIONAL THEY ACCOUNTED FOR 8 OF 9 INDIVIDUAL, TEAM TRACK TITLES.

Rain and wind aside, Saturday was a good day for South Hampton Roads girls' competitors at the second day of the Norfolk Invitational Relays.

Area girls accounted for eight of the nine individual and team titles in high school events on Saturday at Norfolk State, winning everything but the 4x100 relay.

Salem's Tiffany Purham earned a pair of first-place medals by winning the triple jump (38-03 1/2) and anchoring the victorious 4x400 relay team (4:00.33).

The Sun Devils' 4x800 relay team of Tiffany Edwards, Glinda Tatum, Jameka Collins and Portia Joyner won in a time of 9:59.70. Collins was second in the triple jump at 37-03.

Purham placed second to Booker T. Washington's Rachelle Boone in both the 100 and 200.

Boone, who was slightly affected by the inclement weather conditions, ran 12.30 in the 100 and 25.14 in the 200.

``It was tougher (Saturday) because it was raining,'' Boone said. ``The track was a little slippery.''

Bayside's Kisha Ricks won the long jump with a distance of 18-foot-7.

Granby, as was Booker T. and Salem, was also a multi-winner on Saturday.

The Comets earned a sweep in the discus with LaMeka Carter (105-8) earning first place followed by Sheena Inge (86) and Raijean Gates (80-10).

Teammate Lakeesia Ebron won the high jump with a distance of 5-1.

Area boys, as they did on Friday, managed a pair of victories on the second day.

Churchland's Jamin Elliott all but promised a victory on Friday in the triple jump final and lived up to his prediction with a leap of 14.34 meters.

Melwood Waters of Norview won the discus with a throw of 147-8 3/4.

Perhaps the most exciting event of the invitational was the boys 4x100 relay.

Salem and DeMatha Catholic of Hyattsville, Md., ran tight the first three legs. DeMario Williams of and Michael Williams of DeMatha did not let up in the final leg.

The pair ran stride for stride the final 100 meters.

``We came across the finish line at the same time,'' DeMario Williams said.

However, the camera revealed Michael Williams came in at two-hundredths of a second faster as DeMatha won the race with a time of 42.61.

``I didn't know,'' said junior Michael Williams, who ran his first ever anchor leg. ``I was looking at him. He dipped but he didn't dip like me.''

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