Allergy Fails to Slow Clarke on 1st Day of Heptathlon : Track: Valley sophomore holds commanding 475-point lead after four events in state junior college championships.

SACRAMENTO —  It was difficult to tell whether the wind that buffeted Sacramento City College aided or hindered the decathletes and heptathletes who were competing on the first day of the state junior college track and field championships Thursday.

The wind did improve marks in the sprint and hurdle races and in the decathlon long jump. But it also caused hay fever sufferers to experience the all-too-familiar sensations of clogged sinuses and swollen eyes.

Melanie Clarke of Valley College, the defending state champion in the heptathlon, was one of the unfortunates. But no one would have known it from her performance: She totaled 3,290 points to take a 475-point lead after the first day of competition.

“This happens to her every time the weather gets like this,” Valley Coach James Harvey said. “But I can’t complain. She went a little lower in the high jump than we had hoped for. But we were pretty lucky in the other events.”

Clarke, who scored a personal best of 5,127 points to win the heptathlon in the Southern California championships in April, was 196 points ahead of that pace after the first four events Thursday. But wind-aided marks in the 100-meter low hurdles and the 200 will prevent her final total from being a personal best, no matter how high.

Clarke could reach The Athletics Congress championships qualifying standard of 5,400 points, however, if she decides to go for a high score--and not just settle for the win--today.

For most heptathletes, gunning for the best possible score is second nature. But Clarke is not your typical heptathlete. She also will compete in the 200 and 400 meters, the 400- and 1,600-meter relays, and the high jump tonight after finishing the heptathlon’s final three events (long jump, javelin, 800 meters) during the day.

“I’m just worried about (Friday) right now,” Harvey said. “If she takes the events one at a time, she ought to be OK.”

Clarke and Moorpark decathlete Jerry Edwards benefitted from that strategy Thursday.

Clarke strung together efforts of 14.75 seconds in the 100 hurdles, 5 feet 6 inches in the high jump, 36-8 1/2 in the shotput and 23.8 in the 200 to build her commanding lead.

Edwards, competing in his second decathlon, had wind-aided marks of 11.3 in the 100 and 22-1 3/4 in the long jump. He also put the shot 34-5 1/2, cleared 6-5 1/2 in the high jump, and ran 52.4 in the 400 for a first-day total of 3,492 points, which left him seventh in the standings.

Edwina Ammonds of Kings River, who placed second to Clarke in last year’s TAC Junior (age 13-19) championships, was expected to be Clarke’s closest competition. But she withdrew after three events with a leg injury.

In the two distance races held Thursday night, Hugo Allan Garcia of Glendale placed second in the men’s 10,000 in 30:51.6 and Jean Harvey of Antelope Valley did likewise in the women’s 5,000 with a time of 17:16.4.

Oscar Gonzales of Long Beach, who had been outkicked by Garcia for the Southern California title, made sure that didn’t happen again, breaking away from his rival shortly after the 4,000-meter mark to win in 30:03.9.

Tracy Rose of Long Beach, who defeated Harvey for the Southern California title, won the women’s 5,000 in 17:08.7.