CENTENNIAL INVITATIONAL: GIVE FOOTBALL TEAM ASSIST USC WINS QUADRANGULAR MEET.

Byline: Kirby Lee Special to the Daily News

USC dug into its football program to pull out a 193-192 victory over Nebraska in the Centennial Invitational at Cromwell Field on Saturday.

USC's dual-sport athletes took a day off from spring football practice to provide key points in a home quadrangular meet that also included third-place LSU and fourth-place North Carolina.

The Trojans achieved the victory in the final event when freshman Lucais MacKay, an offensive lineman on the football team, finished fourth in the discus.

Impressive as the Trojans' victory was, the defending Pacific-10 Conference champions should be even stronger when spring football ends in two weeks.

The timing could not better for USC, which will attempt to end a 21-year dual meet losing streak against UCLA on May 6.

``We showed a little bit here,'' said redshirt freshman tailback Miguel Fletcher, an Alemany High graduate who finished fifth in the 200. ``But when we're done with football, it will be fireworks out here.''

Three football players - Darrell Rideaux, Kareem Kelly and Sultan McCullough - teamed with Vince Williams to win the 400-meter relay in 39.18, equaling the ninth-best time in school history.

McCullough and Rideaux also finished 2-3 in the 100 with season-bests 10.22 and 10.37.

Freshman wide receiver Marcell Allmond, the national junior decathlon record-holder, contributed a third-place finish in the 110 high hurdles in 14.20.

The transition from football to track has been particular difficult for Rideaux, a freshman cornerback, who has been running predominantly backward and laterally in spring football.

``This is the toughest thing as an athlete I ever had to experience because I am having to reprogram my whole body,'' said Rideaux, the 1999 state 100 champion at Long Beach Poly.

``I am nowhere near the physical track shape that I would like to be in because of football. Right after spring ball I am dedicated to track but until then the focus is on football.''

The USC women won with 185 points, with sophomore Kinshasa Davis having a hand in three victories. Nebraska was second with 170 points and North Carolina and LSU tied for third with 133 1/2.

Davis anchored the 400-meter relay of Angela Williams, Malika Edmonson and Candace Young to a school-record in 43.27, won the 400 in 53.27 and also ran a leg on the Trojans' victorious 1,600 relay in 3:35.48.

In the women's 100, LSU's Peta-GayeDowdie, the 1999 NCAA indoor 200 champion, defeated Williams, the defending NCAA indoor champion, 11.44 to 11.46.

USC's Brigita Langerholc and Natasha Danvers each posted NCAA automatic qualifying marks.

Langerholc won the 800 in 2:04.01 over NCAA champion Claudine Williams of LSU and Danvers, the defending Pacific-10 Conference champion, captured the 400 hurdles in 57.00.

Langerholc and Danvers also joined Carla Estes and Davis on the Trojans' 1,600 relay.