State Delay Only Cloud in Engesser’s Season : Athlete of the year: Oregon-bound Ocean View runner dominated middle distances.

Christie Engesser of Ocean View had a season most athletes would envy.

The only hitch was the two-week delay in holding the State track and field meet.

A storm prompted CIF officials to at first cancel the State meet, which was later rescheduled for June 19.

“I’m excited they’re going to run it, but it still won’t be the same,” Engesser said. “I don’t think the California State meet will be as good an event as it would have been if it was run last week.”

Engesser, who will run at the University of Oregon next season, will race at an all-senior Golden West meet today in Sacramento.

“I’m really just trying to get in a big race,” said Engesser, who will run the 800 and 1,600 at Golden West. “I peaked last week and I was looking to run real well, so I was kind of left hanging.”

Engesser, The Times Orange County Girls’ Track and Field Athlete of the Year, had county-leading bests of 58.11 seconds in the 400 and 2:12.05 in the 800. She said she is looking forward to battling Bishop O’Dowd’s Miesha Marzell, who beat Engesser for the State 800 title last season, Long Beach Poly’s Sherron Rhetta and Fallbrook’s Melanie Hand, the favorites along with her in the 800.

“You never know what’s going to happen in a race, but I knew I’d prepared myself and I was ready to go out there and give it my all,” she said.

Engesser reached the State prelims--where she easily advanced to the final by winning her heat--by placing second to Rhetta at the Masters meet in 2 minutes 12.88 seconds. The week before, at the Division I final, Engesser beat Rhetta with both timed in 2:12.05.

The two battled down the stretch at Cerritos College’s track and Engesser was initially declared the loser. A few days later, after officials re-examined the finish photo, the decision was reversed and Engesser was declared the winner.

During the season, no one in the county came close to defeating her. She swept to victories in the 800 (2:13.68) and 1,500 (4:41.3) at the county championships.

At the Mt. San Antonio College Relays on April 16, she placed second in the 1,500 among a strong field and then came back to win the 800 (2:13.4).

At the Sunset League Championships, she won the 400 (58.11), 800 (2:16.68) and 1,600 (5:11.05).

Engesser has yet to run a personal best this season in the 800 (2:11.23 she ran as runner-up to Marzell in last year’s State meet), but she did set a best in the 400 and came near her 1,500 best of 4:39.97.

Her season-best of 2:12.05 in the 800 is the seventh-best in the nation this year. Her 1,500 time of 4:40.33 ranks her 12th.