Nicole Cochran - Intermediate Girls Distance Star of USATF JO's from Washington

Marie Lawrence (Silver State Striders/Nevada) and Nicole Cochran (South Hill Striders/Washington) race along during Intermeidate Girls 3k at 2004 USATF JO's in Eugene Oregon - Cochran (right photo) winner 9:53.83-9:54.24, both under the divisional record of 10:00.20 by Lisa Dressel from 1986

Washington middle-schooler Nicole Cochran (South Hill Striders) Intermediate Girls Division Distance star at Junior Olympics

Doug Speck

Determined eighth grade graduate Nicole Cochran (South Hills Striders/Spanaway, Washington) stood out among the female distance runners at the recent Junior Olympics in Eugene, Oregon, racing to a series of impressive efforts over the 1500 and 3000 meter distances in the Intermediate Girls Division. The young lady will have to rate consideration among the top high school distance runners on the West Coast in the next few years off her 4:33.54 1500m and 9:53.83 3000m wins, with the 1500 win worth a 1600 meter effort in the low 4:50’s and 3k run a 3200 mark in the 10:30’s for the more commonly run prep distances. Her double win over National Prep Cross Country runner-up last December, Reno’s Marie Lawrence, in both contests raised her sense of “competitive stock,” as her impressive pacing and strong finishes brought her double gold in Eugene.

We caught up with Nicole after she had broken a nearly 20 year old Intermediate Girls 3k record of 10:00.20 set by fellow Washington star, Lisa Dressel, back from 1986, with a 9:53.83 run. This 3k win took place on Saturday 7/31, and was preceded the day before (Thur 7/30) by Nicole winning her heat in the Intermediate Girls 1500 at 4:38.49 (finals on that Sunday 8/1). It was three days of good quality running for Cochran in Eugene, with the cool weather cooperating nicely for the 3000m effort race on Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. When asked about her 3k race and her goals for that contest, Nicole repled, “My goal was the record and I knew that would be tough to achieve. I knew about the others from different regions and was aware that Marie Lawrence would be here, and looked forward to racing her.” Asked about pacing plans, she stated, “I wanted to be under 5:00 at the 1500m to be on pace for the record. When Marie and I were 1-2 with 500 meters to go I decided to go hard, and was able to win.” For the record Cochran was 9:53.83, with Lawrence 9:54.24 pushing her right to finish. In both her 3000 and 1500 meter final race wins Cochran showed special strength and drive over the final lap, with Lawrence’s sprint finish in the National Prep Cross Country Finals last December (a contest where she was nipped for the national title by Colorado’s Katelyn Kaltenbach) legendary from that contest. Lawrence appeared to be gathering for a huge finish with 300 meters to go in the Eugene 3000m contest, but Cochran impressed with her strength for a middle-schooler, powering ahead to the win in the seven and a half lap contest (then repeating it in Sunday’s 1500 contest, where she was a 4:33.54-4:35.37 winner over Lawrence).

Asked about her training, especially strength work, Nicole replied, “I have done no weight training, just push-ups and sit-ups along the way.” Asked about her mileage, she said, “I have done about 30-35 miles per week total, with maybe my highest about 40 miles in a week, and we tapered a bit lately.”

Cochran will be a ninth grader at Bellarmine Prep High School in Tacoma, Washington, a school with a super reputation for runners. Brie Felnagle, a senior next year at Bellarmine, has a career best of 2:08.67 for the 800m with a State Meet double win over 800m (2:10.44) and 1600m (4:47.71) this spring after battling back from mono. Last Fall Bellarmine Prep was second in the State 4A Division to #8 ranked nationally Snohomish 31-85 in the State 4A Cross Country Championships, with Snohomish welcoming back for this year a trio in the top dozen from that contest, with Cochran adding to individual champion Felnagle’s up front strength for Bellarmine. The team struggles between the two squads in the Northwest this Fall worth are certainly worth keeping an eye on. Bellarmine has a great tradition for distance runners, with Sarna Renfro, a two time state champion in Cross-Country in the early 1990’s before a great career at Stanford. Renfro was a winner of the Arcadia Invitational 1600 meters her senior year, with Felnagle third in this year’s Arcadia Invite 800 at 2:11.07 and the school’s team also competing in the Distance Medley Relay in the Invitational portion of the Southern California competition. It is hoped the Washington powerhouse will make the trip south again next April, with some very impressive individual possibilities and some interesting distance medley chances once Cochran is added to that squad.