I could go on. There are plenty of names and numbers -- great material for fans of telephone book reading -- that we could go through in an attempt to cover the best in high school track nationally before most of the top performers have had the chance to meet in postseason matchups.

However, one performance from the Washington state meet stood out as something that anyone can care about. Jeff Skiba of Skyline High School won the state 3-A championship in the high jump, clearing 6-10.

"This is astonishingly cool," said the runner-up, Mike Hallin.

Hallin, like everyone else at Tacoma's Lincoln Bowl, was pulling for Skiba to make it.

"How can you not pull for a guy like Jeff?" he told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Skiba only has a right leg. He was born without a fibula bone in his left leg, and doctors amputated it when he was one year old. He claims he has it easier than other one-legged jumpers because he grew up that way. Skiba, who has competed in Paralympic events, has had the opportunity to compare notes.

A late-comer to high jumping (he admits his form needs a lot of work), Skiba says, "I could always jump. I just didn't know I could this high."

Now he's faced with the decision of competing for a college team (plenty would want him) or focusing on the Paralympics.

NCAA Championships roundup
Abilene Christian won another Division II men's team title at San Angelo, Texas, scoring 91 points to beat the 88 of St. Augustine's. Wildcat shot putter Manuel Brandeborn sealed the win with a big come-through throw of 60-11.5 to capture that event after a lightning delay of 45 minutes. ACU's John Kemboi won the 1,500 in 3:50.23 and the 800 in 1:48.71 for his ninth and 10th national victories, tying Kemboi with legendary sprinter Bobby Morrow for the most national titles in school history.

The Division II women's meet was even closer, with St. Augustine's edging North Dakota State, 54-53. There, it came down to 400-meter strength. On the last day, St. Aug's Libia Rodiguez (53.14) beat North Dakota State's Tamara Brudy (54.11) in the 400. Then in the 4 x 400, St. Augustine's again trumped the Bisons, 3:36.38 to 3:38.54. Abilene Christian's Marisa Cadienhead, a Canadian, won the high jump at 6-4.75, tying the outdoor world leader of Amy Acuff.

In Division III, Wisconsin-La Crosse nailed down the triple crown this school year, its men winning the NCAA outdoor title to go with its indoor and cross country titles. The Eagles' 64 points were more than enough to top the 41 points of Michigan's Calvin College. This is the second time in school history for the triple crown, and the seven outdoor titles the school has won is a record for Division III.

Wheaton won its second straight Division II women's title, helped along by Amber James. The Minnesota native won the 200 in 23.73, the 400 in 53.81, and anchored the winning 3:44.48 relay.

The Division I Championships are set for this weekend at LSU's Bernie Moore Stadium. It will be the 81st annual for the men, 21st for the women. Going into the meet, Tennessee's men and UCLA's women are the favorites, but LSU could challenge for the men's title, and South Carolina and USC are poised for an attack on the Bruins.

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