DAILY PILOT HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETE OF THE WEEK:

Different or what’s a better word Bill Sumner says to himself. He pauses for a minute, searching for the right word to describe Allison Damon.

“She’s a little more naïve,” said the longtime Corona del Mar High cross country coach accustomed to seasoned runners, girls who grew up running.

It’s not that Damon isn’t a star on a team with another star, Shelby Buckley. Like in the sky, Sumner always has room for stars at CdM.

But unlike the rest of the runners Sumner has developed, guided to back-to-back CIF State Division III titles, and sent off to prestigious colleges, Damon is a unique senior. So much so that even her nickname doesn’t make sense.

“Killer” is what Sumner dubbed Damon, for another reason than her instinct on a three-mile course. The nickname came after Sumner saw a photo of Damon as a fifth-grader.

“I was chubbier then, and he was like, ‘Whoa, killer!’” said Damon, who’s now 5-foot-6, 115 pounds. “I just laughed. I don’t let things effect me.”

Now that sums up Damon. She takes it easy, off the course that is. Her achievements rank up there with the best of the CIF Southern Section Division III runners. Even in state, check DyeStatCal.com, the MySpace of high school runners in the state.

Whereas the social networking site has millions of profiles, DyeStatCal.com has times galore. None of it really means anything to Damon. Sure, she knows her personal-best marks — what runners don’t? But she just doesn’t understand why her own time at the Mt. San Antonio College Invitational on Oct. 19 was posted on what’s considered the state’s No. 1 source for high school cross country news as if it were breaking news.

Eighteen minutes, 35 seconds.

Good for first place in the Division III sweepstakes race.

Good for helping CdM win the team race for the third straight year.

Good for thousands of hits on DyeStatCal.com, too.

Well, if it had been any other runner, they’d probably keep hitting the results button online like a teenager checking to see if she has any new friends on MySpace.

“I’m just not one of those obsessed runners who checks DyeStatCal.com every second of my life,” Damon said. “I don’t need to know who’s gunning for me or how many runners have run this time, or that time. I don’t even remember the names of the competition. I don’t wear a heart monitor when I run. All of that is really unnecessary.

“I just go with the flow. I run because it frees your mind.”

The mind is almost clear. The surge is stronger than ever. Signs to Sumner that Damon is ready to shift past runners when times get tough for others, like the hills at Mt. SAC, where she even blew past Buckley. Quite a feat, ask the senior, who placed ninth, 51 seconds behind Damon.

“Only the second time I can remember that’s happened,” said Buckley of seeing Damon cross the finish line before her.

Not just anyone. As Sumner likes to put it, “this is Shelby Buckley,” last year’s second-place state finisher. Buckley’s conclusion, scratch Damon’s sixth-place showing at state last year. Nothing can get in Damon’s way with the upcoming postseason.

One thing has, though, away from the course. That one thing holding Damon back is college. Which one to study at and run for the next four years, a constant distraction. It’s a tough decision to make. Pick Stanford, or Duke? Both offered scholarships. How about Princeton? There she can join her former CdM teammate, Sarah Cummings, last year’s state champ.

She’s toured all three campuses. Each impressed her so much that she sounds like a college recruiter.

“Duke and Princeton are similar, gothic architecture, small campuses. Stanford has more of a California feel,” Damon said. “I like new things and it’s always hard to leave your friends and family. I really don’t know what school I’m going to choose.”

One thing is certain, when Damon picks a school she’s hoping it’s not up on DyeStatCal.com right away.

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at [email protected].