She’s in the Running for State Track Title : Preps: Asha Jayasinghe, a 400-meter specialist, has the nation’s third-fastest outdoor time.

After finishing fourth in the State in the 400 meters last season, Arcadia High senior Asha Jayasinghe knows she is capable of a serious run for the title.

“I have to be mentally strong,” Jayasinghe said. “If I can get my mind into it at that time, I can win. I know I can do it physically.”

Jayasinghe’s maturation as a competitor became evident last month at the Arcadia Invitational, which draws some of the best high school athletes in the country.

Many sprinters have wilted from the pressure of competing in such a high-profile event. But Jayasinghe, 17, won the 400 in 55.63 seconds, the third-fastest outdoor time in the nation this year. College recruiters, already interested in the 5-foot-6 Jayasinghe, stepped up their efforts to woo her.

Jayasinghe recently signed a letter of intent with USC.

“I want to be somebody,” Jayasinghe said. “I want to run and have fun at the same time. They take track seriously (at USC), but not to the point where they live it day-in and day-out. They know how to handle themselves and they’re good.”

Jayasinghe, the defending Southern Section 4-A Division champion in the 400, has been improving steadily since she began competing for the Arcadia varsity as a ninth-grader.

She ran the 400 and some relays for the Apaches in 1990, then switched to the 100 and 200 during her sophomore year. Jayasinghe is a good sprinter, but in a league that features powerful Muir, she was unable to qualify for the Southern Section prelims in those events.

Last year, Jayasinghe switched to the 400. Her potential became obvious to Coach Nils Miller after he watched some of her performances in the 1,600 relay.

“She came out and started running 56- and 57-second splits,” said Miller, who is in his third season as coach of the Apaches. “Suddenly, everyone was saying, ‘Who is this person?’ ”

Jayasinghe won the Pacific League championship, then won the 4-A championship in a personal-best 55.63. She ran 56.32 at the State meet and finished behind two seniors and junior LaTasha Gilliam of Pittsburg, Calif.

“Asha felt some disappointment at not being able to run faster at the State meet,” Miller said. “But that was part of the learning process for her as far as what it’s like to compete in big meets.”

Jayasinghe’s State meet experience paid off at the Arcadia Invitational, although it did not prevent pre-race jitters.

“Every time I race, I think, ‘OK, I’m going to run this thing, and whatever happens, happens.’ I get nervous no matter who I’m running against, even if it’s the world’s slowest person.

“I didn’t really know what was going to happen at the Arcadia Invitational. I had run a good time in the past, but I hadn’t done it this year.”

Jayasinghe’s 55.63 told the track and field community that she would, once again, be in the race for the State championship.

“The way she ran at the Arcadia Invitational, you could tell she had matured,” Miller said. “She was more comfortable and relaxed racing at that level. She knew what she had to do.”

Jayasinghe recently won Pacific League titles in the 400 (56.76) and the 200 (24.34) and will compete Friday in the Southern Section prelims at Trabuco Hills.

Jayasinghe is aware of her status as the sprinter to beat in the Southern Section. She knows that she will get competition from Gilliam, Tasha Prothro of Long Beach Poly and Angela Harris of Skyline High of Oakland at the State meet.

“I’m looking forward to those big meets because of the competition,” Jayasinghe said. “They’re fun because you get to go out and take another step. Every time you go on, you feel like you’ve accomplished something.”