Day one of the 2001 USA Track & Field Association invitational meet Friday at the Natchez High School Athletic Complex was a good day, despite only half of the teams showing up for the first day of the multi events.

&uot;Four teams qualified to be in the multi events,&uot; Natchez USA Track coach Henry &uot;Doc&uot; Woods said. &uot;The multi events are the first phase in the USA Track & Field Association meet. This is a preparation for the district meet.&uot;

Those four teams were the Jackson Jaguars, the New Orleans Comets, Hattiesburg and Baton Rouge, La.

However, only the teams from Jackson and New Orleans showed up for competition. Despite that, Woods said he was not disappointed.

&uot;We knew we were going to be in for a long day,&uot; he said.

In the young women (17-18) division, the Comets’s Qualyndrea Jones was the only one to compete in that division, winning the 100-meter hurdles in 16.58 seconds; the shot put with a throw of 25 feet and nine inches; the high jump with a jump of 4’8&uot;; and the 200-meter dash in a time of 28.98 seconds. In the young men’s (17-18) division, New Orleans’s Villison Kerr went up against Jackson’s Lionel Collins in five events. Kerr won the shot put (28’10 1/2&uot;) and the 400-meter dash (50.58 seconds) while Collins won the 100-meter dash (11.20 seconds), the high jump (5’6&uot;) and the long jump (20’10&uot;).

In the youth boys (13-14) division, the Comets’s Roderick Johnson was the only one competing in that division, winning the 100-meter hurdles (20.39 seconds); the shot put (25’10 1/2&uot;); the high jump (4’3&uot;); the long jump (14’1&uot;); and the 1500-meter run (6 minutes and 54 seconds).

In the youth girls (13-14) division, the Comets’s Leah Phillips was the only one to compete in that division, winning the 100-meter hurdles (22.78 seconds); the shot put (19’3&uot;); the high jump (4′); the long jump (10’9&uot;) and the (4:32).

&uot;The kids did well,&uot; Woods said. &uot;We’re looking forward to wrapping up the multi events tomorrow (Saturday) and then starting up the track and field events.&uot;

The multi events will be from 8 a.m. to noon today, to be followed by the track and field events, which start at 12:30 p.m.