High School Cross-Country : Alsen Proves Equal to Challenge With Win in Kinney Meet

Ian Alsen of Granada Hills High had something to prove when he entered the Kinney West regional cross-country championships at Woodward Park in Fresno on Saturday.

“I just want to prove to everyone else that I’m equal to these other guys, that I’m as good as they are,” Alsen said earlier this week.

Alsen was the best runner in the regional Saturday, winning with a time of 15 minutes, 2 seconds over the 5,000-meter course.

In the girls race, freshman Deena Drossin of Agoura placed second behind Kira Jorgensen of Rancho Buena Vista High in San Diego. Jorgensen, the state Division II champion, ran 17:20 and Drossin, the Division I champion, ran 17:26.

The top eight finishers in each race qualified for the Kinney national championships at Morley Field in San Diego on Saturday.

Alsen, the City Section champion in the 3,200 meters, passed the one-mile mark in 4:30 and had run two miles in 9:35. Only Chip Smith of Sandia High in Albuquerque, N. M., and Christopher Schurz of Westwood High in Scottsdale, Ariz., were still with him at that point.

The trio ran together until Alsen surged into the lead with 400 meters remaining.

“The race went as I planned,” Alsen said. “Nobody wanted to take the lead, so I tried to apply the pressure the last mile.”

Smith placed second (15:04) and Schurz placed third (15:06).

Alsen is the second athlete from the Valley area to win the boys West regional. Eric Reynolds of Camarillo won the 1982 title.

Drossin, who lowered her previous freshman course record of 17:35, traded the lead with Jorgensen for the first 2 1/2 miles before the lanky junior pulled away.

“This is the best I’ve felt all year,” Drossin said. “I’m very happy to finish second. Kira Jorgensen is a great runner.”

Other area runners in the top 50 included:

In the boys race, Mike Glaze of Notre Dame placed 21st (15:36.3), Peter Oviatt of Agoura placed 33rd (15:48.0) and Paul McCarter of Thousand Oaks finished 49th (16:01.2).

Freshman Tiffany York of Agoura placed 37th (19:04.2) and sophomore Vicki Hosek of Notre Dame placed 50th (19:29.4) in the girls race.

Agoura sophomore Bryan Dameworth, the state Division I champion, apparently was suffering from a cold and didn’t place in the top 50.