High School Cross-Country : Jorgensen Is Expected to Add to Victory Total : Junior Is Among Favorites in Today’s National Cross-Country Competition

Kira Jorgensen, a junior at Rancho Buena Vista High School, one of the nation’s best high school cross-country runners, is also one of the favorites in today’s Kinney National meet on the 5,000-meter course at Morley Field in Balboa Park, the only national championship for high schools.

The girls’ race begins at 10 a.m. and the boys’ at 10:45.

Jorgensen, 16, finished fourth in the national meet last year, and this year has won the San Diego Section meet, the state meet and the Kinney Western Regional last weekend in Fresno. She is the highest returning finisher.

She will be challenged by Nnena Lynch of New York, who finished 12th last year; Deena Drossin, a freshman from Agoura, and Christi Constantin of Newton, N.J., the Northeast winner.

“It’s always tough to know about the rest of the field,” said Jorgensen, who had the fastest qualifying time of all competitors. “Girls from other regions have to run under all sorts of other conditions. When they get out here and it’s warmer, they always seem to do better. I’ve learned that after a couple years.”

Francis O’Neill of San Pasqual High is the lone San Diego qualifier in the boys’ race. O’Neill was the West alternate after he finished ninth at the West Regional in Fresno but was able to compete when the West’s top finisher, Ian Allen, opted to run in the Los Angeles City finals. Marc Davis, who ran at San Diego High and is now competing at Arizona, won last year’s boys’ race.

Robert Kennedy of Westerville, Ohio, is the boys’ favorite after finishing third last year.

Eleven Californians will be among the 64 runners today, eight from each of the four regions in the two races.

In the girls’ race: Drossin, Nicole Robbins and Robbyn Bryant of Hesperia, Rayna Cervantes from Montebello, Katy McCandless from Castilleja of Portola Valley, Ashley Black from Palos Verdes and Jorgensen.

In the boys’ race: O’Neill, Jaime Ortega from Arroyo of El Monte, David Scudamore from Palos Verdes and Ben Ayers from Sacramento.