Jordan Hasay, 17, is too young to vote in the upcoming fall general election.

She did, however, cast a vote in another election two weeks ago. Hasay's candidate lost. She won.

The Arroyo Grande resident and Mission Prep senior's latest award is the USATF's 2008 Youth Athlete of the Year. Hasay said in a phone interview Tuesday that she learned of the honor Monday.

Hasay's prep national girls 1,500 meters record run of 4:14.50 in the semi-finals of the United States Olympic Track and Field Trials probably was what swayed enough voters to vote for her.

She did not vote for herself.

“I saw the nominees list (on an internet site) two weeks ago,” Hasay said. “I voted for German (Fernandez). I thought what he did was awesome.”

What Fernandez, a then-Riverbank High School senior, did last spring was break the CIF State Meet record in the boys 1,600 and 3,200. Some pundits afterward called it the most impressive prep distance double ever.

Advertisement

Still, more voters were most impressed with what Hasay did. “I knew there were a lot of nominees, so it was an honor to be chosen,” she said.

Hasay is the 2008 USA Today Athlete of the Year. Her Olympic Trials run was tabbed as DyeStat.Com's Top Performance of the Year. She is Dyestat's Female Athlete of the Year.

Oh, yes, she earned her third All-American honor (three times cross country, three times track) last summer. Now the USATF award has come.

Hasay is turning her attention to that annual blockbuster of a cross country meet on the national scene, the Mt. SAC Invitational at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut.

She's scheduled to run in the Girls Individual Sweepstakes Race at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.

Hasay has won her division at Mt. SAC the last three years. She's run one competitive race this year (which she won handily) because her last track season went so long.

Still, she sounded confident. “My workouts have gone very well,” she said. “I've upped the volume of mileage I've been running since this time last year, and I haven't felt overly tired afterward.

“The course record is 16:16. I'm a senior, so this is my last chance at it.”

Hasay said, “The weather is going to be a big factor. If the weather is good, if the heat isn't too bad, I'd like to run a sub-16:30,” for the three-mile course.

The Saturday high temperature for Walnut is forecast for 87 degrees. Hasay's early starting time may give her a break temperature-wise.

Hasay said she will run at the San Luis Obispo County Meet Oct. 30. She also said she plans to visit the University of Oregon in two weeks.

Hasay has said Oregon is on her short list of top preferences for universities, though she will consider other schools.

October 22, 2008