Alsen Streaks to Distance Wins at Arcadia

One of these days, high school distance runners are going to learn that the best way to defeat Ian Alsen of Granada Hills High is to run a swift early pace and not wait for the last 200 meters to try to sprint past the Highlander senior.

To let the pace dawdle can prove costly, but that is what happened in both the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs in the Arcadia Invitational at Arcadia High on Saturday night.

Alsen, the Kinney West Regional cross-country champion, used his explosive last-lap kick to win both races.

His times of 4 minutes, 9.67 seconds in the 1,600 and 8:59.54 in the 3,200 were personal bests and moved Alsen to fifth on the all-time Valley-area list in those events.

Alsen’s times in both races were the fastest outdoor high school times in the nation this season. His time in the 1,600 converts to a 4:11.14 mile and his time in the 3,200 converts to a 9:02.72 in the two-mile.

Both victories were tailor-made for Alsen, who ran a 58.1 last 400 in the 1,600 and a 61.3 last lap in the 3,200.

“I was surprised that the pace wasn’t faster,” Alsen said. “I was ready for that, but it never happened.”

In the 1,600, Alsen took the lead with 500 meters remaining and defeated second-place Cajh Hafferty (4:11.72) of Seattle by more than two seconds.

In the 3,200, he swooped past Reggie Williams (9:00.66) of River City High in West Sacramento with 100 meters remaining.

“I felt very confident tonight,” Alsen said. “I had prepared myself mentally to win off a fast pace or a slow one. It didn’t matter which way the races went. I thought I was capable of winning either way.”

The boys’ 100- and 400-meter dashes had been two of the most eagerly anticipated races of the meet, but they failed to live up to their billing as Quincy Watts of Taft, the defending state champion in the 100 and 200, withdrew because of a strained right hamstring.

Watts, the No. 1-ranked high school sprinter in the nation by Track and Field News in 1987, strained the muscle in a dual meet against El Camino Real on Friday. The injury is not expected to sideline Watts for an extended period of time.

Angela Burnham of Rio Mesa, the 1986 state champion in the 100, also was nursing a tender hamstring. But it did not appear to hinder her as she defended her Arcadia titles in the 100 and 200 and ran a storming anchor leg in the open 400 relay. She brought Rio Mesa (48.6) from sixth to second in the final 100 meters.

Burnham’s times of 11.65 in the 100 and 23.94 in the 200 were personal bests for the Spartan junior. The 200 clocking was a national best and the 100 was the second-fastest time in the nation this year.

Christe Gaines of South Oak Cliff in Dallas ran 11.50 in the 100 on Friday.

“The leg didn’t bother me,” Burnham said after winning the 100. “I didn’t worry about it. I just told myself to put it out of my mind. If it pulled, it pulled.”

Another national-leading mark of 10:17.25 went to the Thousand Oaks boys’ distance medley relay team of Paul McCarter, Mike Bogeyavac, Dave Patterson and Mike Williamson.

McCarter led off with a 3:08.6 1,200-meter leg, and he was followed by Bogeyavac (50.0 for 400), Patterson (1:58.7 for 800) and Williamson (4:19.9 for 1,600).

Russell White of Crespi won the triple jump with a season best of 49- 1/2.