NOTES : Top Hurdler Tolson Has Quit Fountain Valley Track Team

Fountain Valley’s Elinor Tolson, who placed fifth in the girls’ 300-meter hurdles in last year’s State track and field meet, is no longer on the team.

Tolson, a senior, said Tuesday she has quit running for the Barons because of problems with her left knee. Tolson said her knee bothered her during the meets she ran this season and the injury led to her quitting the team in early March after a dual meet with Ocean View.

Fountain Valley girls’ Coach Dan Moran said he met with Tolson the week after the Ocean View meet to discuss Tolson’s decision.

“She had mentioned she had already quit,” Moran said. “And I said, ‘Hey, before you make that decision, let’s have a meeting.’

“We had the meeting and it went very well. She had a few reasons to quit and that was it. I respected her decision and I left the door open for her to come back to the team.”

Tolson had bests of 43.25 seconds in the 300 hurdles and 14.23 in the 100 hurdles. She ranked third on the all-time Orange County list in the 300. The county record is held by Fountain Valley’s Sharon Hatfield, who coached Tolson. Hatfield ran 42.55 in 1982.

Tolson said she plans to compete for Cal State Northridge next year.

“I’m not running this year because of my knee, but I’m going to Cal State Northridge--I pretty much have a scholarship there,” she said. “(This season), I’m getting my knee all healed up.”

Tolson said she does not plan to run for Fountain Valley again.

“I really doubt it at this point,” she said.

Tolson ran 46.8 in the 300 hurdles this season, the county’s top mark so far.