Hasay wins Golden West Invitational

By Kenny Cress/Sports Writer

Jordan Hasay, this time as rare underdog, prevailed once again.

She beat top seed Justine Fredronic of Moss Beach in the girls 800-meter run at the Golden West Invitational at Folsom High School Saturday. Hasay won in a personal best 2:09.92. Fredronic, who just finished her junior year at Carlmont High School, was second in 2:11.19.

Arroyo Grande High School senior-to-be Karlee Owens ran ninth in 2:16.19. Arroyo Grande junior Taylor Castanon finished 11th in 4:46.24 in the boys mile run.

Julianne Alarcio, who just finished her senior year at Arroyo Grande high school, was fifth in the girls long jump with a solid 18-1 1/2.

Hasay, an Arroyo Grande resident who just finished her junior year at Mission Prep, followed her blockbuster 3,200 victory at the CIF State Track and Field Meet with another win.

She set a meet record at the state meet May 31 with a 9:52.13. She edged Davis senior Laurynne Chetelat who ran 9:53.51. That time was also under Kim Mortensen’s old meet record time of 9:52.80.

Hasay ran the second-fastest 3,200 time ever by a California high school girl at the state meet. Saturday, she stayed unbeaten for 2008.

“I was hoping to go a little faster, but I was pretty happy with it,” Hasay said in a phone interview Saturday night. She chuckled. “It was a pretty drastic step, going from a 3,200 to an 800 in a week.

“I came around the first lap in 63, and I was pretty much in a pack.” Hasay broke free and won.

Hasay will go for a third consecutive victory at the USATF Junior Nationals meet later this month. She will bid for a spot on the USATF World Juniors team when she races in the women’s 1,500 meters. The preliminaries are June 20. The finals are June 22.

The top two finishers will be guaranteed spots on the U.S. team that will compete at the IAAF World Juniors meet in Poland July 8-12.

Hasay will wait through next week to see if she’s qualified for the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. The qualifying window ends June 15. Her 4:16.98 is currently 24th best. The women’s field will consist of 30 runners.

kcress@timespressrecorder.com