Orange County Championships: Allen completes three-peat

Steve Virgen

IRVINE - Less than three minutes after winning her third straight

Orange County Cross Country Championships title, Corona del Mar High’s

Julie Allen performed more heroics Saturday at Irvine Regional Park.

The CdM senior, rather than pump her fist in glory or issue statements

to the press, sprinted toward Ahlia Kattan, a teammate in need. Kattan,

who winced as she gasped for each breath while crossing the finish line,

dramatically collapsed when coming in 51st (19:49). Allen, who cut nine

seconds off her winning time last year and won this year’s title in

17:13, helped Kattan to a resting place and offered to piggyback her to a

trainer’s table.

“She’s a team player,” CdM Coach Bill Sumner said of Allen. “There’s

always some girls who are prima donnas ... she’s not that.”

Minutes before tending to Kattan, Allen, who has won the Laguna Hills

and Stanford Invitationals this season, drew command of the Division I

race from the outset. Before the one-mile mark she built a 12-second lead

ahead of her former teammate Bethany Nickless of Fountain Valley and

Edison’s Maryann Pynchon, whom both traded second and third twice during

the race.

Allen, who admitted she had no doubt of winning the race, maintained

her lead throughout and finished 18 seconds ahead of Nickless.

The Sea Kings, who have won the Orange County Championships the past

two years, came in fifth (167 points), three points shy of fourth-place

Foothill, while Esperanza (75) grabbed the title, placing five girls in

the top 25 out of 102 runners.

“Winning and losing, that does enter your mind,” Allen said. “But this

year it’s been interesting because I’ve had great training. My thought

has been to the point that it doesn’t get down to a personal level. But

in doing that, I don’t have any fear of anyone. I have respect, but not

fear.”

Allen also said she used the Orange County Championships as training.

She expected to be out in front and she wanted to thrive in that

situation.

“There are some great Orange County runners,” Sumner said. ‘But right

now she doesn’t look at the county, she looks at the state. She looks at

the nation. This race is for her to practice her own skills. For her to

get out a little harder and dictate what happens.”

Allen, who transferred from Fountain Valley in the spring, definitely

dictated the pace. She built a lead and ran out in front, alone. But she

doesn’t hide from competition.

“If anyone wants to come (up and) run with me, that’s great,” said

Allen, who has not decided on a college next year, yet she said she

enjoyed visiting Stanford, while at the school’s meet. “I feel like (a

runner next to me) will only push me forward. That’s what competition is

all about. It’s not a fear of losing, it’s excitement. Whether I’m

running by myself, whether I’m running behind someone else, I’m going to

try to, with each step, take it to a higher level. Each race I’m taking

it to the higher level.”

Coach Sumner said he was quite pleased with the efforts of his young

team. He was actually excited, but the celebration was short-lived when

he realized his team missed fourth-place by three points.

He was impressed with two freshmen, Kattan and Melissa Swigert, and

said they were the difference in providing the Sea Kings with a

respectable finish. Swigert, who came in 46th, completed the three-mile

course in 19:44, just three seconds ahead of teammate Katherine Morse.

CdM also finished in the top five because of the blue-collar-type

strides of senior Becky Cummins who came in 22nd (18:56).

In Division II, the young runners of Newport Harbor came in sixth.

Lauren Paul was the Sailors’ No. 1 runner. The sophomore finished 13th

(19:32), while fellow sophomore, Lisa Evans, came in 24th (19:51).

“We’re still a couple of weeks away,” Newport Coach Eric Tweit said.

“But this was a good, solid race for us. Andi Sarris (48th in 20:49) ran

her fastest time ever.

Costa Mesa’s Christine Bjelland experienced a tight race with a close

finish and came in third in Division III, as the Mustangs wound up eighth

out of 18 schools. Mesa Coach Tom Hancock, who filled in for Eric Davies

(absent because of prior commitments), said Bjelland has still yet to

show her full talent. Her finish in 20:03 was not her personal best and

it was one second behind Loara’s Jenna Wheeler.