Fager’s Jump Is Not One for the Books

Lisa Fager of Mission Viejo High School is one of the best at the triple jump, having set the county record, 39 feet 11 1/2 inches, a year ago.

The record stands even though Fager, The Times’ Athlete of the Week, beat that mark by nearly a foot Saturday at the Orange County girls’ track and field championships.

Fager jumped a wind-aided 40-10 Saturday. It would have broken her county record, but the wind was measured at 2.08 meters per second, .08 over the standard set for records.

“Just talking you create an .08,” Mission Viejo Coach Fred Almond said.

Fager said the wind “doesn’t diminish it at all. I know that (a lack of wind) wasn’t going to make it less than 40 feet. I did it on my own merit.”

And she did it after injuring her quadriceps muscle two days earlier. Fager pulled the muscle Thursday while winning the high jump (5-2) in a dual meet against Irvine.

After three sessions of physical therapy--Thursday night, Friday afternoon and Saturday--Fager, who will attend Kansas State in the fall on a track scholarship, felt well enough to compete.

“We went saying the leg would hold up for one jump,” Almond said. “So she goes out and jumps 38-5, good enough to win, and I gave her the international cut-off sign by putting my finger across my throat.”

Fager paid him no mind. “She shook her head,” Almond said. “So I talked to her and she said, ‘Nope, I’m jumping. I can go 40 feet today. my next jump will be over 39.’ I said, ‘If you can go 39, you get another jump, deal?’ and she agreed.

Fager’s next jump was 39-4, and Almond stuck to the agreement. Her next jump tied her personal record.

“She went 39-11 1/2, a personal record, and she’s saying to the guys in the pit, ‘You’re pulling on the tape too hard.’ ” Almond said. “She’s that competitive. Since she went 39 again I had to let her jump again.”

Fager’s last jump was her longest, even if it won’t show in the record books.

TOP PERFORMERS

Christy Carolin of Capistrano Valley won the 50-yard freestyle (24.17 seconds) and the 100 freestyle (56.68) in Saturday’s finals of the Foothill Swim Games.

Christie Engesser of Ocean View was named distance athlete of the meet at Saturday’s Orange County Championships after winning the 800 (2:16.03) and 1,500 meters (4:44.70).

Kaci Keffer of Woodbridge, winner of the sprint athlete award at the Orange County Championships, won the 400 meters in a personal-best 56.54, and the 300 hurdles in 44.14, which broke the meet record of 44.40 set in 1984 by Mary Anne Bullard of Esperanza.

Melissa McDonald of Mater Dei high jumped 5-10 at the county championships, the best in the county this season.

Katarina Triska of Mission Viejo won the 100 butterfly (59.91) and the 200 individual medley (2:13.07) at the Mission Viejo Invitational Saturday.

Lisa Fager

Mission Viejo High School

* Position: Triple jumper, high jumper and long jumper

* Height, Weight, Class: 5-10, 125, Senior

* Last Week: At the Orange County girls’ track and field championships, Fager jumped a wind-aided 40 feet 10 inches.

* Season: Fager is undefeated in the triple jump, high jump and long jump in dual meets.