SOUTHERN SECTION GIRLS’ TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS : Edison’s Taylor Repeats Her Victories in 800 and 1,600

Last year, Shelley Taylor was the neophyte sensation of the Southern Section track and field championships.

A freshman with less than a year of competitive experience, Taylor of Edison High School won the 1,600- and 800-meter races in the 4-A division.

This year, as a relative veteran, Taylor did it again, winning both events easily Friday at Cerritos College by running what her coach called perfect races.

“It looked like we rehearsed it on the track,” Edison Coach Stan Stauble said after Taylor’s victory in the 800. “It was beautiful.”

Taylor said she feels more comfortable because she is more experienced.

“I’m always nervous and I’ll always be tense before my races, but compared to last year, I’m so much better,” Taylor said. “Being nervous takes so much out of you.”

Taylor’s was the most impressive performance of any Orange County girl at the meet. Individual championships in the four Southern Section divisions were decided and the top nine marks in each event, regardless of division, qualified for the CIF Masters meet next Friday at Cerritos College.

Final team results weren’t available because Southern Section officials postponed the triple jump competition until Tuesday because the long jump took too long to complete, but Morningside was awarded the first-place trophy. Woodbridge, which had won two consecutive 2-A titles, trailed Morningside by 27 points after 10 events.

The combination of strong Morningside performances--basketball star Lisa Leslie won the high jump and finished second in the long jump--and an ankle injury to Woodbridge’s Kristina Lockwood were too much to overcome.

“I’d like to win the CIF three times in a row but you have to be realistic,” Warrior Coach George Varvas said. “There’s a lot of competition here.”

But there wasn’t much in the way of competition for Taylor.

Her qualifying time in the 1,600 was two seconds better than her closest competitor and she took the lead in the third lap and ran the rest of the way alone, finishing in 4:59.17, the second-fastest 1,600 time of the day. Her time was seven seconds behind 2-A winner Karen Hecox of South Hills High, who ran 4:52.38.

Taylor said she was holding back in the mile to save her energy for the 800, which she won pulling away from the pack in 2:15.57.

Next week, Taylor will run only the 1,600 because the events are scheduled too close together. She will be trying to defeat Hecox for the first time.

Other notable winners were:

--Martha Pinto of Katella, who won the 3-A 3,200-meter race.

--Donna Mills of Katella, who won the 3-A 800.

--Jill Young of Corona del Mar, who won the 3-A 300 hurdles.

--Renee Wright of Orange Lutheran, who won the 1-A 300 low hurdles.

--Joanna Alo of Santa Ana Valley, who won the 3-A shot put.

--Allison Axtell of Mission Viejo, who won the 4-A long jump.

--Debbie Hargrove of Estancia, who won the 3-A discus.

--Susannah Thrasher of Villa Park, who won the 3-A 1,600.

Thrasher, whose time of 5:02.10 was 16 seconds faster than her qualifying time last week, left the stadium minutes after her race to get ready for her high school prom.

“It’s been a hectic day running around,” Thrasher said. “But this is a nice way to start the night.”