USC Lands Top Long Beach Track Recruits During Early Signing Period

USC will be the top choice among the area’s track and field standouts today on the first day to sign national letter of intents. The University of Southern California and other USC, the University of South Carolina, will be the picks for 2003 Long Beach Press-Telegram Dream Team athletes of the Year Lionel Larry of Dominguez and Shalonda Solomon of Poly.

Solomon, the country’s top returnee in the 100 and 200 meters, chose South Carolina over Southern California, UCLA, Texas and UNLV. Larry, the defending state 200 champion, picked Southern California in favor of UCLA, Arizona State and Oklahoma.

Southern California and former Long Beach City College coach Ron Allice has also received commitments from Jasmine Lee of Poly and Carol Rodriguez of Wilson.

Last spring, Lee won the state 400 title to become the first Poly girl to win an individual running event. Lee, who will be the nation’s No. 2 returnee in the 400, went on to win a gold medal as a member of the United States 1,600 relay in the Pan-American Junior Games. She also visited UCLA and Texas.

Rodriguez, a transfer from Anaheim Western High, is the 2002 and 2003 CIF-Southern Section Division III champion in the 100 and 200. Rodriguez picked the Trojans over LSU and UCLA.

Solomon is the third area athlete to head to South Carolina in recent years, joining junior Lashinda Demus of Wilson, the national record high school record holder in the 300 hurdles, and senior Tony Allmond of St. Paul, the 2003 NCAA runner-up in the long jump.

Solomon, a gold medallist in the 100, 200 and 400 relay in the 2003 Pan-American Junior Games, initially had reservations about moving to Columbia, S.C. but was impressed by South Carolina coach Curtis Frye.

Frye guided the Gamecocks to the 2002 NCAA championship and coached now graduated Aleen Bailey to the 2003 NCAA 100 and 200 titles. Frye is also considered among the nation’s top hurdles coaches.

Four-time world high hurdle champion Allen Johnson, a South Carolina assistant, and 2003 World Championship silver medallist Terrance Trammel and 2000 Olympic bronze 100 hurdles medallist Melissa Morrison train under Frye.

“You can’t live those past results but I think in the future I can do better here,” Solomon said. “He bonds well with the team. The weather is kind of cold. And if I stayed it would be easier to see my family, but they are only a phone call away.”

Lee and Solomon, who teamed on Poly’s national-record setting 1,600 relay last season, took a recruiting trip to Texas together but made their college choices independently. Lee and Solomon didn’t divulge their choices to one another until Monday night.

Solomon would have been reunited with Lee and former Poly teammates Shantae McKinney and Dominique Dorsey at USC and with Candice Baucham at UCLA. Solomon, though, felt most comfortable at South Carolina.

“Most of the kids coming out of Poly go to USC or UCLA,” Solomon said. “They like it there and it works for them. That’s their opinion and I had to do what I thought was best for me.”