Lightning’s Gordon flashes athletic prowess

Rick Devereux

Laura Gordon has been known to improve her level of play when the

situation calls for it while starring on the Sage Hill School soccer

and track and field teams.

After Gordon took third in the CIF Southern Section Division IV

triple jump finals this spring as a junior with a personal-best leap

of 36 feet, 6 inches, Coach Nate Miller was not surprised with the

results.

“I wasn’t shocked at all,” Miller said. “She always rises to the

occasion.”

Gordon, the Lightning’s Female Athlete of the Year, holds four

school records in track and field. She was the Academy League

champion in the triple jump (34-4 1/4) and 100-meter hurdles (17.1).

She was second in the league in the long jump (15 feet) and

300-hurdles (51.0).

“She is some kind of athlete,” Miller said.

Gordon was named the league’s girls track and field Athlete of the

Year for her endeavors.

It was not the first time Gordon has been honored by league

coaches for her athletic prowess.

The senior-to-be has been named first-team all-league in soccer

two straight years for her efforts as goaltender. Her team also voted

her the Most Valuable Player each of the past two years and she was

selected to the second-team All-CIF Division IV squad.

Thanks to her ability guarding the net, the Lightning finished

(8-7-3, 4-4-2 in league, good for third place) and qualified for the

CIF playoffs for the first time in school history.

The co-captain made a season-high 14 saves against Saddleback

Valley Christian this season and a career-high 21 saves against

Capistrano Valley Christian her sophomore year.

“She has no problems diving and has the ability to move around the

goal very well,” Coach Amy Ray told the Daily Pilot during the soccer

season.

Gordon’s ability impresses her competitors and coaches alike, but

she even surprises herself with what she can accomplish.

Following her personal best triple jump, Gordon knew it was a good

jump but didn’t know how good until the results were posted.

“I wanted to get 35 feet,” Gordon said. “My mouth dropped when I

saw what I got.”

She still has one more year to make more mouths drop.