Cross-Country Preview : Jorgensen and Poway Are on Pace for Another Successful Season

The expected excellence of this year’s top San Diego County cross-country runners can be traced--in part--to Nevada and an ankle injury suffered by the coach of the county’s top team.

First Nevada.

On Sept. 10, the country’s top distance runners gathered in the desert for the Las Vegas Invitational, a 3-mile race in 100-degree heat.

Among the competitors was Kira Jorgensen of Rancho Buena Vista, last year’s section, state and national champion.

Was Jorgensen just limbering up in the heat?

You might say that. She finished first, and her time of 15 minutes 31 seconds beat the course record by 33 seconds.

So with Jorgensen, a senior, running that well already, San Diego County should again feature the best female high school runner in the country.

As for that ankle injury:

In 1971, Don Schaitel, now Poway coach, tore ligaments in his ankle while playing basketball.

“The doctor said I should not continue playing basketball, so I decided to take up running,” said Schaitel, who once considered a jaunt of 400 yards distance running.

Since that switch, Schaitel--who so took to running that he was able to complete a marathon in about 3 hours--has built Poway into one of the state’s top programs.

He arrived there 6 years ago after coaching 13 years at St. Augustine.

It was an ideal match.

Poway got an enthusiastic coach who could bring about a team atmosphere. He had coached baseball, basketball and football at St. Augustine.

Schaitel got to tap a school of more than 3,000 students that is situated in cross-country paradise. “We have some great switchback hills by Lake Poway, and it seems like it is always warmer here (than in other parts of the county),” Schaitel said.

Result?

Poway finished second to Palos Verdes for the state boys’/girls’ title last year. Poway’s girls finished sixth, its boys seventh. The school won both San Diego Section titles.

This season, the boys’ team has been ranked third in the state, behind Dana Hills and Upland, by the International Sports Exchange. Ed Paz, who finished 27th in the state, heads a group of 5 seniors who ran in Fresno last year.

Junior Dawn Gigstad, the No. 3 finisher of all sophomores at the state meet, and sophomore Tara Barnhant lead the young but deep girls’ team.

“It’s been really intense in practice; I think we can (repeat as dual-section champions),” Schaitel said.

Other runners to watch include San Dieguito’s Jaime Butler, the section 3-A girls’ champion who has been hindered by stress fractures, and Francis O’Neill of San Pasqual’s boys’ team.

El Camino and Serra will be seeking to repeat as 1-A and 2-A boys’ champions, and San Pasqual and La Jolla are defending the 1-A and 2-A girls’ titles, respectively..

Granite Hills, Santana, Mt. Carmel and Serra could challenge Poway for the boys’ title, Schaitel said. The Titan girls should have strong opposition from Fallbrook, Helix, Santana and Mt. Carmel, he added.