BAKERSFIELD - Jordan Hasay warmed up for her second girls 3,200 state title defense with her third straight sectional championship at that distance.

Hasay eased to a 10:24.76 in the CIF Central Section Championships at Liberty High School on a Wednesday evening that was, well, pretty warm.

“It was 95-ish,” when the meet started although, “It's cooled down quite a bit,” the Mission Prep junior and Arroyo Grande resident said in a post-race phone interview.

Her next race will be in the 3,200 at the CIF State Track and Field Meet at Cerritos College in Norwalk May 31. As she did her sophomore year, Hasay has elected not to run the 1,600 at the state meet after considering a double earlier in the season.

“Two hard races that close together would be too much,” she said. “I'll have good competition in the 3,200.”

Barring the unforeseen, Davis senior Laurynne Chetelat will be in the 3,200 at the state meet. Chetelat was the runner-up to Hasay there last season. She was right behind Hasay for five-and-a-half laps before Hasay broke away and won handily.

A four-peat in the 3,200 “is kind of our goal,” said Hasay. By “our,” Hasay meant she and her coach, Dr. Armando Siqueiros.

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Hasay said, “It's going to be hard because I've been focusing on the 1,600 so much. I'm going to try to get in some tempo runs so I'll be ready.”

After the state meet, Hasay will turn her attention to the shorter stuff. She said she will race in the 800 at the Golden West Invitational soon after the state meet.

Hasay will then go after a berth on the USATF World Juniors Team when she races in the 1,600 at the USATF Junior Nationals in Indianapolis in June. The top two in each event qualify for the team that will compete at the World Juniors meet in Poland.

Hasay wants to race at the U.S. Olympic Trials in July. She has met the “B” standard in the women's 1,600. The 4:16.98 she ran in winning at the Junior Nationals last year is the fourth-fastest ever by a U.S. high school girl.

May 16, 2008