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Jordan Hasay steals spotlight at Golden West Invitational

Jordan Hasay, bib No. 53, was congratulated by her competitors. (Photo courtesy Tom Paniagua)

When Arroyo Grande's Jordan Hasay entered the Golden West Invitational for the first time as an eighth grader, she looked to her competition in awe, hoping to keep up with the fastest runners in the nation as she learned the ropes of high school track and field. Five years later, and in her fifth straight trip to the event, Hassay was the headliner, won her event nearly half a lap ahead of the rest of the pack, and drew a standing ovation from a crowd in Folsom eager to see a possible future Olympian.

 

"This (event) was really my first taste of high school racing," said Mission College Prep High's Hasay, remembering her first Golden West Invitational five years ago as an eighth grader. "It was my first race against some of the best high school runners, so I've always really enjoyed this meet because I can remember how I felt in that first race as just a little eighth grader."

 

Hasay showcased her abilities in the girls' 1 mile run in the 50th Golden West Invitational held at Folsom Stadium June 13, finishing with a time of 4:44.28, over 15 seconds ahead of second place finisher Alexa Aragon. While her 5-foot-4-inch frame still might resemble most eighth grade bodies, Hasay's abilities have become far superior not only to the fresh-faced girl she was at the GWI five years ago, but to competition all across the nation.

 

"It's just really such an honor that I've been able to continue to progress, lower my times and be the one everyone is looking up to," Hasay said after competing in her fifth straight GWI. "It's really cool, and it's been neat to come here every year."

 

The event also reminded Hasay of a former competitor and future teammate in Oak Ridge High School graduate Alex Kosinski.

 

"I had a great race my freshman year here with Alex Kosinski, who's going to be my future teammate," Hasay said. "There's just a bunch of memories here, the meet organizers are so supportive and it's such an honor to compete here.

Hasay will be attending the University of Oregon next year to run for the Ducks alongside Kosinski. Kosinski shattered records, both local and national, in her reign in distance running while at Oak Ridge, and has seen success in her freshman and sophomore seasons in Oregon. Hasay enjoyed competing with the Sacramento-area superstar, but is even more excited to run alongside her for the Ducks.

 

"We've been friends ever since I've been racing her," Hasay said of Kosinski. "I got to go to Poland with her on the World Junior Team and got to hang out with her on my visit (to Eugene, Ore.). We've raced back and forth, and I'm really looking forward to training with her next year. She's been doing great in college and hopefully I'll be able to follow in her footsteps."

 

The rest of the field had some impressive showings from both national competition and a few local athletes.

 

For a few runners used to being at the front of the pack locally, the competition was that of elite status.

 

"I'm tired," said a heavy-breathing Hayley Scott of Oak Ridge High School, who finished sixth in the girls' 800 Meter A Section run. "It was fun, though. We went out fast, which is what I expected. It was good; they pulled me along. It was a very good group of girls, very nice, too. "

 

While several athletes mentioned they'd seen competition just as fast or faster at the California state meet, all admitted the GWI provided them an experienced they needed to gauge their abilities.

 

"Compared to what I'm used to, (the competition) was very strong," Scott said. "It was really fun and a really good experience.

 

This is the first time I've actually run here. It helps me get used to running with girls that are that fast, knowing what I'm going to have to put in to be able to run with those girls."

 

"After state, my body is pretty worn out," said Jesuit's R.J. Frasier, who finished third in the boys' 110 hurdles with a time of 14.48, but second in the 300 Meter Hurdles A Section (37.87). "I wasn't really satisfied (with my performance). I was hoping to PR, but there's other races.

 

"I think it's a very good meet. There's always really strong competition. It is always an honor to be here because I got to run against Wayne Davis (in the 110 hurdles), probably one of the best runners in the nation, so that's always a good thing."

 

Davis stormed ahead in the 110 hurdles to take the win (13.56) over Frasier and Fairfield's Dante Thomas, who took second (14.39) but enjoyed the opportunity race alongside Davis. He used Davis as motivation to run harder.

 

"It felt good; it felt fast," said Thomas, who later won the 300 Meter Hurdles A Section (37.60). "I was just gonna use him to have me run fast, that's all. (Davis was) pretty fast, but I just go run my race and use him to make me run faster."

 

Whether facing the best athletes in the nation or just trying to beat personal records, local athletes enjoyed their time in the spotlight at the Golden West Invitational, and plan to use their experience to better their success in the future, whether the success comes in another high school season or in a college competition.

 

Below are some local highlights and results from the meet. For complete results from the event, visit www.goldenwestinvitational.org.

 

In the girls' 100 dash, Pleasant Grove's Kashae Knox finished fourth with a time of 12.39. Knox also finished fourth in the 200 dash (25.15), while Oakmont's Jazmin Harper finished fifth (25.25). In the girls' 400 Meter Dash A Section, Harper took second with a time of 55.52, while Fairfield's Alexandria Whitmore finished fourth (56.75). In the girls' 300 hurdles, Tory Mason of Sacramento High took the win (47.11). In the girls' pole vault, Del Oro's Mackenzi Landry took second with a height of 12 feet 1.5 inches, while Woodcreek's Kayla Kamaka took second (11-09.75), and Granite Bay's Katherine Zingheim took fourth (11-03.75) in a tie with Bella Vista's Emily Bush. In the girls' shot put, Florin's Anamanu Folau took the victory (39-1.25), while Vacaville's Brianna French took third (37-08.5). French also took fourth in the discus (139-0).

 

In the boys' 400 dash, Jesuit's Thomas Blocker took third (48.19). In the boys' 800 run, Woodland's John McAnelly took fifth (1:58.06). In the boys' 3200 run, El Camino's Chris Kigar took fifth (9:13.24). In the boys' pole vault, Placer High's Derick Hinch took third (4.81 meters), while Sheldon's J.J. Juilfs took fourth (4.81) and Folsom's Mike Starr took sixth (4.56). In the boys' long jump, Folsom's Tyler Trosin took sixth (6.28 meters). In the boys' triple jump, Bella Vista's Eric Rice took third (40-08.75). In the boys' hammer throw, Whitney High's Matt Post took second (53.78 meters).

For more info: Visit TheSportsInformant.com for more photos from the event. You can find Patrick on MySpace and Twitter, too.