Recently in Track & Field Category

   Many of you likely saw the weekend story about recent Serra graduate Marqise Lee being named Cal-Hi Sports' Boys State Athlete of the Year. 

http://www.dailybreeze.com/preps/ci_18588902

   Columnist Mike Waldner also touched on Lee in a column this morning about Lee and his former Serra/current USC teammates George Farmer and Robert Woods.

http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_18606191

   To put in perspective the elite list Lee just joined (and Woods joined the year before), here's the all-time Cal-Hi list, which includes retroactive selections for athletes before the 1978-79 school year.

   El Segundo's Scott McGregor is also on there, but so are the likes of Jackie Robinson, Ted Williams, John Elway, Jason Kidd, Mark Spitz, Greg Louganis, Darryl Strawberry and C.C. Sabathia among a host of others.  Any way you slice it, some pretty elite company for a pair of Cavaliers who appear to have bright futures at USC and beyond.

   Here's the list ...

ALL-TIME BOYS STATE 
ATHLETES OF THE YEAR 
(Selected by Cal-Hi Sports) 

2010-11 - Marqise Lee, Gardena Serra (football, basketball, track) 
2009-10 - Robert Woods, Gardena Serra (football, track) 
2008-09 - Tyler Gaffney, San Diego Cathedral Catholic (football, baseball) 
2007-08 - German Fernandez, Riverbank (cross country, track) 
2006-07 - Mike Stanton, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (football, basketball, baseball) 
2005-06 - Chase Budinger, Carlsbad La Costa Canyon (basketball, volleyball) 
2004-05 - Drew Shiller, Burlingame (football, basketball, baseball) 
2003-04 - Kenny O'Neal, Oakland Skyline (football, track) 
2002-03 - Steve Smith, Woodland Hills Taft (football, basketball, track) 
2001-02 - Aaron Piersol, Newport Beach Newport Harbor (swimming) 
2000-01 - Antwon Guidry, San Jose Leigh (football, basketball, track) 
1999-00 - D.J. Williams, Concord De La Salle (football, track) 
1998-99 - Chris Lewis, Long Beach Poly (football, volleyball) 
1997-98 - C.C. Sabathia, Vallejo (football, basketball, baseball) 
1996-97 - Ken-Yon Rambo, Long Beach Poly (football, track) 
1995-96 - Chris Claiborne, Riverside J.W. North (football, basketball) 
1994-95 - Eric Guerrero, San Jose Independence (wrestling) 
1993-94 - McKay Christensen, Fresno Clovis West (football, baseball) 
1992-93 - Calvin Harrison, Salinas North Salinas (track, basketball) 
1991-92 - Jason Kidd, Alameda St. Joseph (basketball, baseball) 
1990-91 - Rob Johnson, El Toro (football, basketball, baseball) 
1989-90 - Ryan Hancock, Cupertino Monta Vista (football, baseball) 
1988-89 - Lorenzo Neal, Lemoore (football, wrestling) 
1987-88 - Adam Keefe, Irvine Woodbridge (basketball, volleyball) 
1986-87 - LeRon Ellis, Santa Ana Mater Dei (water polo, basketball, track) 
1985-86 - Brian Johnson, Oakland Skyline (football, baseball) 
1984-85 - George Porter, Lompoc Cabrillo (basketball, track) 
1983-84 - John Williams, L. A. Crenshaw (basketball) 
1982-83 - Mike Smith, Hacienda Heights Los Altos (football, basketball, volleyball) 
1981-82 - Jim McCullough, Hemet (football, wrestling) 
1980-81 - Kevin Willhite, Rancho Cordova (football, track) 
1979-80 - Darryl Strawberry, L.A. Crenshaw (basketball, baseball) 
1978-79 - John Elway, Granada Hills (football, baseball) 
1977-78 - Jesse Vasallo, Mission Viejo (swimming) 
1976-77 - Brian Goodell, Mission Viejo (swimming) 
1975-76 - Greg Louganis, El Cajon Valhalla & Santa Ana (diving) 
1974-75 - Bill Cartwright, Elk Grove (basketball) 
1973-74 - Tim Shaw, Long Beach Wilson (water polo, swimming) 
1972-73 - Lonnie Shelton, Bakersfield Foothill (football, track) 
1971-72 - Scott McGregor, El Segundo (baseball) 
1970-71 - Anthony Davis, San Fernando (football, baseball) 
1969-70 - James McAlister, Pasadena Blair (football, track) 
1968-69 - Jeff Burroughs, Long Beach Wilson (football, baseball) 
1967-68 - Mark Spitz, Santa Clara (water polo, swimming) 
1966-67 - Mickey Cureton, Compton Centennial (football) 
1965-66 - Tim Danielson, Chula Vista (track) 
1964-65 - Paul Wilson, Downey Warren (track) 
1963-64 - Don Schollander, Santa Clara (water polo, swimming) 
1962-63 - Tommie Smith, Lemoore (football, basketball, track) 
1961-62 - Forrest Beaty, Glendale Hoover (track) 
1960-61 - Ulis Williams, Compton (track) 
1959-60 - Dennis Ralston, Bakersfield (tennis) 
1958-59 - Dale Story, Orange (track) 
1957-58 - Willie Davis, L. A. Roosevelt (basketball, baseball, track) 
1956-57 - Bill Kilmer, Azusa Citrus (football, basketball, baseball) 
1955-56 - Fred Lacour, S.F. St. Ignatius (basketball) 
1954-55 - Dick Bass, Vallejo (football) 
1953-54 - Don Bowden, San Jose Lincoln (track) 
1952-53 - Ronnie Knox, Santa Monica (football) 
1951-52 - Marty Keough, Pomona (football, basketball, baseball) 
1950-51 - Charlie Powell, San Diego (football, baseball) 
1949-50 - Lang Stanley, L.A. Jefferson (track) 
1948-49 - John Henry Johnson, Pittsburg (football, basketball, track) 
1947-48 - Bob Mathias, Tulare (football, track) 
1946-47 - Bill McColl, San Diego Hoover (football, basketball, baseball) 
1945-46 - George Stanich, Sacramento (basketball, baseball, track) 
1944-45 - Jackie Jensen, Oakland (football, baseball) 
1943-44 - Bill Sharman, Porterville (football, basketball, baseball) 
1942-43 - Glenn Davis, La Verne Bonita (football, baseball) 
1941-42 - Irv Noren, Pasadena (basketball, baseball) 
1940-41 - Tommie Fears, Los Angeles Manual Arts (football) 
1939-40 - Howie Dallmar, San Francisco Lowell (basketball, baseball) 
1938-39 - Jim Jurkovich, Fresno (football, track) 
1937-38 - Frankie Albert, Glendale (football, baseball, tennis) 
1936-37 - Jackie Robinson, Pasadena Muir (football, basketball, baseball) 
1935-36 - Bobby Doerr, Los Angeles Fremont (pro baseball) 
1934-35 - Ted Williams, San Diego Hoover (baseball) 
1933-34 - Hank Luisetti, San Francisco Galileo (basketball) 
1932-33 - Don Budge, Oakland University (tennis) 
1931-32 - Corney Johnson, Los Angeles (track) 
1930-31 - Frank Sobrero, Oakland (football, basketball, baseball) 

Note: List continues back to 1890-91 in the Cal-Hi Sports State Record Book & Almanac. All selections prior to 1978-79 done retroactively through research by our founder, the late Nelson Tennis

The Arcadia Invitational generally marks the beginning of the major Southern California high school track and field meets.

The Serra girls look poised for another breakout performance.

Serra will face off against Long Beach Poly and Eleanor Roosevelt of Maryland in what promises to be an exciting kickoff to the prestigious two-day event at Arcadia High.

The girls 300 hurdles race might be one of the more intriguing with Serra's Turquoise Thompson (the national leader in the 400 hurdles), defending state champion Kori Carter of Claremont and Long Beach Wilson senior Nyjah Cousar, the state leader at 43.25.

The UCLA-bound Thompson, pictured, missed last season in accordance with CIF transfer rules. She also will run in the 400, 4x200 and 1,600 relays. In the 4x200 relay, Serra ran 1:37.30 in the Texas Relays for the state's top mark. The field for tonight's 4x200 at Arcadia will include Wilson and Roosevelt.

"Turquoise is good. She's running well," said Serra coach Lori Smith-Thompson, who is also her mother. "She's adjusted very well and is running comfortable (after missing last season). Right now, it's all about getting her ready for the big meets."

Serra likes the idea of going up against powers like Roosevelt and Long Beach Poly.
Roosevelt is the national leader in the 400 and 1,600 relays. Long Beach Poly, always a powerhouse, had three national leading relay efforts at the Texas Relays in the distance medley, the 4x800-meter relay and the 1,600-meter sprint medley relay.

Roosevelt and Poly finished as the top two teams in the nation in the <WC>1,6<WC1>00 relay last season at 3:37.02 and 3:39.72.

Roosevelt defeated Poly in last year's Arcadia Invitational and in the Penn Relays. Roosevelt's mark of 3:37.02 moved the Raiders into seventh on the all-time list to become the only non-Long Beach school among the all-time top 10.

Last weekend, Roosevelt ran 3:41.40 for the nation's best mark in the Florida Relay while Poly clocked a season-best 3:43.85 in the Texas Relays for the No. 2 U.S. time paced by sophomore Akawkaw Ndiapgbor and senior Jasmine Joseph.

The Serra boys, the St. Mary's Academy girls, El Segundo hurdler and jumper Allison Reaser and Redondo distance phenoms Cody Schmidt, Simon Schmidt and Chloe Curtis are also expected to make appearances at Arcadia.

Today's competition begins at 4:30 p.m. On Saturday, the meet starts at 9:30 a.m. with invitational events at 4 p.m.

We've added a searchable data base to the Daily Breeze Web site that you can use to keep up with area history. There are hundreds of former South Bay athletes entered, and it's a list we know will expand substantially when all of you begin contributing the names and histories of those we may have missed.  It's probably weighted toward more recent graduates in the early stages, largely because those people have been easier to keep tabs on in recent years.

The more you contribute or help plug the gaps, the more accurate the information can be and the more up to date we can keep all of you when it comes to who's gone on to which college, etc. If you know of a Banning High linebacker from the 1960s who went on to play some college or pro ball, go ahead and add his name to the list.  Did we miss a South Bay-bred volleyball standout who played collegiately and/or overseas, a former cross country runner who went on to great things?  Fill us in.

We want your feedback -- you'll see there's an option for you to contribute names of former South Bay standouts who should be added to the list.  We want this to become a robust list of area history, a place you can turn to see who has starred for your alma mater over the years or perhaps see what became of a former classmate you lost track of.

Here's the link to the database, also available through a button on the prep portion of the Breeze Web site. Thanks again.

http://www.dailybreeze.com/southbayathletes