Penn State sprinter Connie Moore entered very elite company yesterday. The senior defeated five-time Olympic medalist Marion Jones in the 200-meter dash yesterday at the Mt. SAC Relays.

Moore's scorching first-place time of 22.71 seconds is the second fastest time in the country in 2004.

Jones ended up finishing fourth place with the time of 23.02, behind Crystal Cox and San Diego State's Tonette Dyer.

Yesterday was the first outdoor race for Jones since the 2002 season. Jones, who gave birth to her first child last June, has been back in competition since February.

"I had a great competition. Marion is a great mentor of mine," Moore told the Associated Press. "I know she's going to come back in the Olympic trials and do her thing."

Jones shot out of the blocks to an early lead in the race, but faded badly coming down the stretch.

Moore, typically not a strong starter, got a good jump on the field with Jones at the start and turned on the jets into first.

Jones was noticeably disappointed after the race.

"I was thinking, 'All right, Marion, time for you to get in gear,' " Jones said. "But it just didn't happen. That's not like me, and I'm disappointed that I didn't have that extra gear today."

The Penn State women's track team took 20 athletes to Southern California for the annual relay carnival, all performing well.

Senior Sara Dougherty matched her Penn State record and personal best in the pole vault with the mark of 13 feet 1 1/2 inches.

Lexi Benamati continued her excellent marks this year by landing fourth place in the shot put with a throw of 45 feet 9 3/4 inches.

The rest of the team stayed in State College to compete in the Nittany Lion Relays on a California-like Saturday.

Junior Kristen Eash took first in the javelin with a monster throw of 148 feet 7 inches, more than good enough for a NCAA regional qualifying mark.

It was the only regional qualifier of the entire meet, and Eash was happy about her breakthrough performance to say the least.

"I just felt incredible right when I let it go," Eash said, about her throw that was a personal best by 13 feet. "The only thing I could say was, 'Wow.' "

The meet was a small one on the women's side, only Penn State, tiny Clarion University and several unattached athletes competed in California.

The meet was more like a practice event for the Lions, who took first place in all but five events exactly like they did a year before.

The event was filled with highs for the Lions, but one moment in particular eclipsed them all: Danielle Styer, competing in the 200-meters, crossing the finish line.

A member of the Penn State Paralympians, Styer finished the race in 39.97 seconds to cheers and hugs from her fellow teammates.

The Penn State squad will now shift its focus to Philadelphia, for the Penn Relays coming up next weekend.