When St. Geme runs, course is hers for the taking

st.geme-athleteofweekThe Corona del Mar High senior is dominating in her first injury-free season of long-distance running.When Corona del Mar High senior cross country star Annie St. Geme goes into a race, she has a plan. It’s not always the same plan, but the results are usually the same -- victory.

Last week was one of many banner weeks for St. Geme. She stayed with her teammates all the way to the finish line and they all crossed together in Corona del Mar’s lopsided victory over Laguna Beach at Bonita Creek Park.

Last Saturday, St. Geme took first place in the Orange County Championships at Irvine Park in Orange with a time of 16 minutes, 55 seconds -- her personal best time on the course. She beat Back Bay rival Whitney Blue of Newport Harbor in the process.

Those performances came on the heels of the Clovis Invitational, where Corona del Mar made national news by setting a new course record at Fresno’s Woodward Park, where the state championships are run. After that performance, Corona del Mar was named the No. 1 team in the Nike/Footlocker Super 25 high school rankings.

The Sea Kings, led by St. Geme’s second-place time of 17:24, clocked in at 91:21, smashing Sultana’s 2002 mark of 91:53.

At the Orange County championships, St. Geme had a plan for running against Blue and the county’s other top runners.

“At the OC championships, I planned to stay relaxed for the first two miles, then in the last mile just go hard,” St. Geme said. “That worked out well.”

St. Geme led Corona del Mar to a first-place team finish. Blue, last year’s champion, finished in fourth place in 17:19.

Winning the Orange County Championships was a goal of St. Geme’s since last year, after hearing that Blue won it. St. Geme tore a muscle along the arch of her right foot early last September and was out for a month and a half.

“By the time I got back, I heard Whitney Blue won. She had so much success last year,” St. Geme said. “I was thinking, if only I could stay healthy I can have a season like she did.”

So far, so good. St. Geme is capable of winning any race she’s in.

“She’s one of a kind,” Corona del Mar Coach Bill Sumner said. “She’s pretty much in control of her running. She’s making people run her way.”

And what is her way?

“Her way is the way she decides to run the race,” Sumner said. “She’s in charge. She’s the class of the field in Orange County. No disrespect to the other great runners, but right now, Annie’s calling the shots.”

St. Geme might be running more than just the county, by the time the season’s over.

“If things go the way we think they will, then you’ll be looking at the state champion,” Sumner said. “I really feel that is a strong possibility.”

St. Geme has set high-reaching goals for herself and she’s going after them.

“I want to win state and go on to the Footlocker Nationals and finish in the top three,” St. Geme said. “I know those are lofty goals, but at that point, as long as I stay healthy, I will be in tip-top shape.”

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