Track title is girl’s last Laguna hurrah

Alex Crawley lay on the infield grass at Cerritos College in Norwalk late Saturday afternoon exhausted yet elated with what she had just done.

The Laguna Beach High senior lay there with freshman teammate Camille Borges while the CIF Southern Section track and field championships went on around them, oblivious to the competition as they relished their special moment.

Crawley had just ran her way to an individual championship in the girls’ Division IV 3,200-meter run. Borges, in her first year on the track, finished in ninth place in the same event.

Crawley won her first CIF title in her final event as a Laguna athlete. Her time of 11:22.90 was nearly four seconds faster than her second-place finisher, Margaret Sitler of La Salle who crossed the finish line in 11:26.77.

Borges ran a 12:35.57 and her ninth-place finish allowed Laguna to be just one of two schools — Maranatha was the other — to place two runners in the top nine.

Laguna Coach Earl Towner, who has been with the girls’ program since 1988, said Crawley’s CIF title is the first that he can recall being won by a Laguna girl.

“Since this was my last shot, I really, really wanted to win this race,” said Crawley, a four-year varsity runner at Laguna. “I felt good coming into this race. I did a lot of strength work this season and felt pretty confident. I did have some pre-race jitters but used that nervous energy to my benefit.

“I was definitely in a lot of pain after that first mile but I just wanted to get to that finish line. When I did, it felt incredible.”

Her emotions, she said, were of excitement and an “overwhelming” feeling, but she still waited for Borges, who ran despite a knee injury, to finish the race.

“Camille is so gifted and has a great career at Laguna ahead of her,” Crawley said. “She injured her knee the week before finals but still did awesome. It was nice to have someone there with me to celebrate.”

The ending of her high school career was sweet for Crawley who twice had finished second in previous CIF competitions.

“It really is a great ending to my career at Laguna,” she said. “I had a wonderful time her. Earl (Towner) really helped nurture my career and deserves a lot of credit. So do my teammates. It’s a great group that is really encouraging and supportive.”

Crawley is headed to the Ivy League next fall, where she will attend Columbia University and run cross-country and compete in track and field for the Lions.

“She sure left a legacy here,” Towner said. “She fell in love with the sport while here and she was like having an assistant coach out there. She was a role model for a lot of the girls. She was just fabulous in every aspect, and we’ll continue to hear about her when she’s at Columbia.”