National Prep Cross-Country Meet : Leading Runners Will Race Today in San Diego

Sixty-four of the best high school cross-country runners will be competing in the Kinney National championship meet at 10 a.m. today at Balboa Park in San Diego.

John Trautmann of Central Valley, N.Y. High School, the runner-up in last year’s race, Mark Mastalir of Sacramento Jesuit, who won the prestigious Mt. San Antonio Invitational in October, and Rueben Reina of San Antonio, loom as the top contenders in the boys’ race.

That 32-runner field will also include Daren Stonerock of Saugus High, who finished sixth in the Western Regional last Saturday in Fresno.

The girls’ field includes Melissa Sutton of Newbury Park, Tracey Williams of Mountain View and Amy Dabul of Temple City. Buffy Rabbitt of Newport Harbor and Lisa Rizzo are the alternates.

Sutton outsprinted Rebecca Chamberlain of San Jose Leigh, state 3,200-meter champion and the second-place finisher in the nationals last year, to win at Fresno.

Chamberlain, Laurie Chapman of San Jose Gunderson, Erin Keogh of McLean, Va.; Carol Gray of New Prairie, Ind., and Suzy Favor of Stevens Point, Wis., are expected to challenge for the girls’ title.

Also today, Belmont High will be looking for its fourth straight boys’ title in the City meet beginning at 10 a.m. at Pierce College.

Belmont is again led by a Gomez, although not Roman, who won the individual titles in 1983 and 1984 and now attends USC. The newest Gomez is brother Manuel, who finished sixth in last year’s race and had the best time in the preliminaries.

In the girls’ division, defending champion University easily won its preliminary race and is the favorite. University won the 1984 title by four points over Belmont and six over Lincoln.