Jordan Hasay can add yet another honor to her burgeoning collection.

This one is a repeat. USA Today named her to its Girls High School All-American Track and Field team for the second consecutive year.

“They chose me in the 1,500, 1,600 and 3,200,” meters the Arroyo Grande resident, who will be a junior at Mission Prep next school year, said in a recent phone interview. The newspaper chose her as its top overall female runner.

Hasay's a four-time prep All-American - twice in track, twice in cross country. She's also won two national championships in each sport. Hasay won the Foot Locker Nationals cross country race in 2005. She's also a four-time state (twice in track, twice in cross country) champion.

The 15-year-old was the girls high school national federation holder in the 1,600 for a brief time with the 4:39.13 she ran at the San Luis Obispo County meet in March. She broke the sophomore class record then. The sophomore class record in the 3,200 also went when Hasay ran 10:04.07 at Camarillo that month.

All this came during a school year in which Hasay made straight A's for the second consecutive time. Her blockbuster 1,500 runs came later.

She took down the sophomore 1,500 class record when she won in 4:16.98 at the USATF Junior Nationals in Indianapolis June 23. That put her fourth all-time (only three U.S. prep girls have run the distance faster) for a U.S. high school girls 1,500 runner.

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Hasay broke on to the international scene with a silver medal in her first race overseas. She finished second in 4:17.24 to Kenyan Sammary Cherotich (4:15.47) in the 1,500 at the IAAF World Youth Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic July 13.

Finally back home, “I'm getting rested a little bit,” Hasay said. “It's been kind of harder to get (back into my routine) from the long plane ride and everything.

“This week and last week I've been kind of going easy (with the training). Next week is when I'll really start.”

Hasay's looking toward trying to get her Foot Locker title back - she was 10th last year - and won't race until October as she tries to peak for it. “My first race will probably be at either the Clovis Invitational or Mt. SAC,” she said.

She does have one regret before the season even starts. Mission Prep's Royals, multiple CIF Central Section Division V cross country champions “lost four of our top girls,” behind her to graduation, Hasay said. “That's kind of a bummer.”

Hasay said she may race at the Junior National cross country race at Mission Bay in San Diego - she won the event at Boulder, Colo., last February - but she likely would not race at the Junior Worlds meet in Scotland.

“It would cut a lot into track time,” she said.

Longer term, Hasay will go after a berth in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials. She's met the “B” standard for the women's 1,500. If the Trials were today, her 4:16.98 would get her a spot, if the 30-woman field is chosen by best time.

Hasay will also go for a spot in the World Juniors track and field meet in Poland. “I think that one's in August,” she said.

“I'll try to get in some 1,500s and 5,000s after cross country.” Hasay has said she will try to run a Trials qualifying time for the 5,000, a race she's never run on the track.

“I like doing the shorter distances,” she said. “I really like doing the longer distances. Part of the reason I like the shorter races is I've had more competition there.

“I'm sure once I get to the international level in the longer races, I'll have more competition.”

July 27, 2007