Efraimson leads charge on Mortensen record

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

 
It may be only the second weekend of April, and a month before most athletes plan to peak, but the girls 3,200 field assembled at the Arcadia Invitational this weekend could produce one of the special moments in the 47-year history of the meet.

Kim Mortensen's 1996 two-mile/3200 national record of 9:48.59 – one of the oldest and most revered of the high school records – is in play.

Mortensen (shown at left) set the record in May at the Southern Section Masters meet at Cerritos College on May 24 of her senior year at Thousand Oaks High School -- averaging 73.57 seconds per lap.

This year, Camas (Wash.) junior Alexa Efraimson comes in with the credentials that point to a possible record attempt and she'll be backed up by a deep and talented field that may keep the race competitive – and the pace honest – to the end.

Efraimson booked a 9:00.16 U.S high school record for 3,000 meters in January on the oversized indoor track at the University of Washington, running in a field of professionals. (She finished fourth).

Her coach, Mike Hickey, said Wednesday that she is in better shape now than she was then.

 
"She ran eight times a quarter the other day and looked good," Hickey said. "I wanted to see where she was and she always responds well to aerobic development (workouts). I think she'll break 10 (minutes). She looks really good."

Of course, best laid plans don't always pan out. If it's windy, for instance, or the pace in the first mile dawdles, the record may not be attainable.

But Efraimson, the NXN cross country champion and 4:32.15 indoor miler, won't have only the clock to worry about. Simi Valley senior Sarah Baxter is a three-time defending champion (10:14, 10:08 and 10:08 the past three years) and she is not in the habit of losing. A couple of weeks ago, she finished in a dead heat with fellow Californian Bethan Knights in US#1 10:07.52, one of the few times she has ever been challenged in California. (And Knights is in this race too).

 
Anna Maxwell of San Lorenzo Valley has run 10:11 this season already and could be ready to dip under 10 minutes as well.

Then there are a couple more wildcards who could factor into this. The enigmatic Allie Ostrander is making her lower-48 debut in a track race and she just broke her own Alaska state record with 10:17 last weekend in Anchorage. (Ostrander ran 16:47 on a flat 5K cross country course in Oregon last fall).

Other national-caliber contenders in the field include Makena Morley (Montana), Sarah Feeny and Lucy Biles (Utah), Hannah Long (Missouri), Fiona O'Keeffe and Sarah Robinson (California) and Kayla Montgomery (North Carolina).

For record's purposes, all eyes will be on Efraimson, who ran 10:16 amid a triple two weekends ago.

"Every time we go to these (big) meets it's a little more of an eye-opener," Hickey said. "(Alexa) is learning to relax (with) a lot of attention around her. In New York (at New Balance Nationals Indoor) she went out way too hard. But she's getting more comfortable with that type of front-running. At (Arcadia) there will be pressure, but she seems really relaxed."

One thing that is certain is that there is no intention of pulling back on the reins. This is an opportunity that Efraimson doesn't want to let pass by.

"The Kim Mortensen record? I think for sure (it's in play). Alexa is more fit than she was when she ran nine flat," Hickey said.

Arcadia is a massive undertaking over three days that includes one of the most thoroughly competitive decathlon/heptathlon competitions in the country. It is a giant showcase for the staggering depth of talent in Southern California and it is peppered by the arrival of elites flying in from all over the country.

One of the most intriguing teams making the trip to Los Angeles this year is Union Catholic of New Jersey. Fresh off an historic bid to win four national indoor relay titles (they got two), the boys squad led by Taylor McLaughlin, Jordan Jimerson and Obafemi Animashaun gets a rare chance to go head-to-head with the best teams in California in events such as the shuttle hurdles and the 4x400. It's been a long winter in New Jersey and the UC team has to be aching to get into the California sun. Freshman Sydney McLaughlin – Taylor's younger sister – could be one to watch as well.

The boys 3,200 meters – traditionally the showcase event of the entire meet – is as strong as ever and could possibly steal the thunder from the girls race if it doesn't go as fast as expected. A West-heavy lineup that includes Blake Haney, Estevan De La Rosa (it's his home track), Austin Tamagno, Tanner Anderson, Kai Wilmot, John Dressel, Joe Hardy, Garrett Corcoran, Elijah Armstrong, Levi Thomet, Cerake Geberkidane, Conner Mantz, Sydney Gidabuday and Blair Hurlock. Then, from the Midwest come Patrick Perrier and Jesse Reiser from Illinois, Noah Kauppila from Missouri, and Aaron Templeton from Tennessee. And from the East, Garrett O'Toole from Massachusetts and Ian Milder and Ben Huffman from North Carolina.

Suddenly it's not so implausible that the number of guys going sub-nine could surpass the 18 that did it last year.

The annual competition for sprint supremacy between Long Beach Poly and Gardena Serra (joined this year by Union Catholic) takes on a new chapter. But there are also some intriguing matchups in the sprints, such as the prospect of Isaiah Brandt-Sims (Washington), Paul Lucas (Arizona) and Rai Benjamin (New York) in the 200.

Or if Benjamin is casting his lot in the 400, then he could meet up with McLaughlin or Utah's Trevor Leavitt.

The girls shot put is another loaded event, with national leader Stamatia Scarvelis (California) taking on Ashlie Blake (Nevada) and Lena Giger (Illinois).

National leader Adoree Jackson, a USC football recruit, is the one to watch in the long jump and he will be pushed by Oregon signee Nate Moore, the national indoor champion in both the long and triple jumps.

Randall Cunningham Jr. (Nevada) is the national leader in the boys high jump and will get a test from Virginia standout Steven Dunbar.