Jordan Hasay 4-peats first 4-time winner in 30-year history of Foot Locker regionals California wins team scoring with 22 points (1-2-5-6-8)
By Steve Brand
Jordan Hasay confirmed what everyone around her noticed.
“This was the easiest of the four,” the San Luis Obispo Mission College Prep said after setting still another standard – this time becoming the first runner, boy or girl, to capture four straight Foot Locker Regional titles.
With the victory in the West Regional, she qualifies for her fourth Foot Locker National Championship in San Diego and while she may have cruised through today’s victory in 18:02, that won’t happen next Saturday.
You knew strategy would replace speed almost from the start when Hasay crawled (for her) through the first mile in 5:48. Earlier this year at the Mt. SAC Invitational she scorched a 5:09.
As a result, she was shoulder-to-shoulder with runners like San Clemente High’s Alex Dunne (second in 18:12), Utah freshman Danielle Menlove (third in 18:23), Arizona’s Jessica Tonn (fourth in 18:31) and Torrey Pines High’s Megan Morgan (fifth in 18:33) heading into the hills.
Eventually, though, Hasay would stretch the lead, fully expecting at least Dunne to make a late move, which really never happened as the familiar refrain of “we’re just running to qualify” dominated post-race conversation.
Her time was the slowest of the four titles she has won but she wasn’t disappointed. In fact, she’s never enjoyed it more.
“My whole season has been pointing for Dec. 13 and I was able to conserve a lot of energy for next week,” said Hasay, who still has not decided where she will attend college. “I wanted to expend as little energy as possible.”
Hasay said that competing in events like the U.S. Olympic Trials in track have made her better able to handle trailing early in the race, which she said was her downfall last year when she finished third in the Foot Locker Nationals.
photo by John Dye
“I took it out too hard,” she said of the race a year ago. “When others started to pass me, I panicked. I fell down to fourth but came back the final half-mile to get third and that gave me confidence I could catch the others in the final 800 meters.”
As a result, do not be surprised next week if she is not the leader at the mile or two mile mark. Of course, it would be hard to imagine Hasay hanging back, about as hard as it was to see 5:48 on the clock when she passed the mile marker today.
Morgan certainly noticed.
“You know there are runners who try to win it in the first mile,” said the junior who will have a home course advantage of sorts in the Nationals since Torrey Pines High is just up the road from San Diego.
“My plan was to stay back in 15th to 25th and then move up but when the pace was so slow, I was still very close to the leaders (in eighth). In fact, it was a little strange to see Jordan so close.”
Hasay swears she has learned her lesson and she certainly has had enough of them what with a four-pack of Regional and now National appearances.
“There are three defending champions in that race (the Nationals),” said Hasay, who won three years ago as a freshman. “Qualifying as easily as possible is all that mattered.”
Rounding out the team will be Californians Jennifer Bergman (San Jose), Sheree Shea (San Diego), and Jacque Taylor (Petaluma), Utah’s Shalaya Kipp and Oregon’s Taylor Wallace.
Alex Dunne was close coming off Reservoir Hill in third mile
photo by Scott Kurtz
Flow of the Race photos by John Dye and Scott Kurtz
Start
Half Mile
Mile - reached in 5:42
Crossover - 1.8 miles - Tonn, Hasay, Jumbo, Dunne, Taylor
Poop Out Hill - Hasay (1), Dunn (11) and Kipp lead just before 2-mile mark is reached in 11:47.
