Mortensen Sets Record Straight

NORWALK â€”  After pounding on the door of the 10-minute 3,200-meter race last week, Kim Mortensen of Thousand Oaks High kicked it in Friday, setting a national record in the Southern Section Masters Meet at Cerritos College.

The UCLA-bound Mortensen had moved to fourth on the all-time national outdoor list with a time of 10 minutes 3.11 seconds in the Division I race of the Southern Section championships last week.

But she obliterated that mark Friday with a 9:48.59 clocking that destroyed the previous national outdoor record by more than 11 seconds. It’s the fastest time ever--indoor or outdoors--by nearly four seconds.

“I wasn’t thinking about running that fast,� Mortensen said. “I would have been happy with 9:59.99.�

Mortensen, who defeated runner-up Allyson Marquand of Irvine University by nearly 52 seconds, came through the first 1,600 in 4:55.1 and then actually picked up the pace. She clocked 74.5 for the fifth lap, 75.4 for the sixth and 74.1 for the seventh before finishing in 69.5.

The previous indoor and outdoor records--which were converted from the slightly longer two-mile distance--were 9:52.46 by Melody Fairchild of Boulder (Colo.) High in 1991 and 10:00.0 by Mary Shea of Cardinal Gibbons High in Raleigh, N.C., in 1979.

Mortensen generally doesn’t gun for specific times in her races, but Thousand Oaks distance Coach Jack Farrell laid out a battle plan for the assault on the 10-minute 3,200 and she implemented it perfectly.

“The first 1,600 was the key,� Farrell said. “I told her that if she came through in five minutes or faster and she felt good, she should go for it. If she came through in 5:05 and didn’t feel that great, then she could back off and just bring it on in.�

Mortensen said she felt great after the first 1,600 and, with the estimated crowd of 4,500 urging her on for the last half of the race, the record was hers for the taking.

“I definitely heard the crowd,� she said. “That definitely helped me along.�

To put Mortensen’s time in perspective, consider that she averaged 4:54.3 for two consecutive 1,600s and that Annie Ebiner of Glendora St. Lucy’s won the 1,600 in 4.58.70 on Friday.

Mortensen was one of four local winners in the meet. The top five finishers in each event advanced to the State championships at Cerritos on May 31 and June 1.

Nordhoff senior Will Bernaldo, Chaminade junior Liz Giltner and Hoover freshman Bridget Pearson were the others.

The Cal State Northridge-bound Bernaldo clocked a region-leading 9:14.22 in the boys’ 3,200 to edge Hoover junior David Lopez (9:15.75) and better his previous best of 9:19.87, set in winning last week’s Division III title.

Giltner tied her personal best of 5 feet 8 inches in the girls’ high jump for the sixth time this season and Pearson was one of four girls to clear 11 feet in the pole vault. She was considered the winner because she had the fewest attempts.

Sophomore Miguel Fletcher of Alemany qualified for the State championships in three events.

He placed second to Gerald Williams of Lynwood in the 100, who won with a wind-aided 10.50 to Fletcher’s 10.47, and was the runner-up to Obea Moore of Pasadena Muir in the 200, 20.77 to 21.19.

Fletcher also anchored Alemany to a third-place and region-leading time of 3:17.29 in the 1,600 relay.