If it’s hard for you to keep up with the Jones’s, just think how hard it must be for them to keep ahead.

The women’s track team finished 55 points behind the South Coast Conference champion Mt.SAC Saturday at Cerritos, and will see the same competition and more this Saturday at the Southern California Preliminaries at Citrus.

The meet will start at 10 a.m. with Caitlin Barrow and Star Thurman competing in the long jump. Barrow finished third at conference.

“I’ve been jumping well; I just need to hit my steps,” Barrow said.

Next, the 400-meter relay team consisting of Shammeer Dawson, Specelle Williams, Krystal Johnson and Thurman will look to improve on its time of 48.77 which garnered it a fourth place finish. The team is currently seeded sixth in the prelims.

Williams and Lauren Glick from South Torrance will both compete in the 100-meter and 400-meter hurdles. Williams had a second place finish in the 400-meter hurdles with a 67.97 and is currently seeded fourth at the prelims.

Barrow finished sixth at conference with a 58.89.

Stephanie Robbins finished second in the shot and discus.

“All the top women are inches apart; it’s a real close competition,” Robbins said.

The 800-meter will see Moran and one of the state’s best, Lindsey Brown. Brown is expected to be in the finals and is currently seeded fourth in the prelims.

The only final on Saturday is the 10,000 meter run; Becky Cherry, Dennise Warnecke and Valarie Tucker will compete in an event where the top four go onto the state championship.

“I don’t want to lose contact with the group,” Cherry said.

The 1600-meter-relay team will get a chance to prove itself again.

“Lately I’ve been better in the open four hundred meters,” Barrow said. “I just need to relax in the first two hundred meters; I need to run my race.”

The team is seeded third at the prelims, 5.04 seconds behind the leader, Long Beach.

The women will be back in the dry heat of Citrus.

“No one likes running in the heat; I just try and stay positive,” Cherry said.

“Expect the solid core group to advance to the finals with an elite smaller group advancing to state,” Lofgren said.

There will be 24 competitors in each of the nine lane races except the 1,500 meters and the 5,000 meters. Twelve will compete in the field events except the high jump. The top four from each event will go on to state.