STATE TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS : Esperanza’s O’Connor Sets Record : Girls: Her distance of 40 feet 6 1/2 inches in the triple jump sets an Orange County mark at the State track meet.

If Esperanza’s Kelly O’Connor felt the pressure Saturday at the State-CIF Track and Field Championships at Cerritos College, she sure didn’t show it.

O’Connor, who turned in the state’s best triple jump in mid-April, jumped a county record 40 feet 6 1/2 inches to win her specialty.

“I was kind of glad I was ranked first coming in,” O’Connor said. “I’ve never jumped last [in the jumping order].”

Jumping in the last spot, the position earned by having the meet’s longest qualifying mark, O’Conner leaped 40-5 3/4 on her second attempt, after fouling on her opening-round attempt.

Her third effort bettered the second by three-quarters-of-an-inch, and secured the State title.

O’Connor’s jumps broke new ground for county athletes, because no jumper had ever exceeded the 40-foot mark.

“I didn’t even know what the record was before,” said O’Connor, a junior.

The record of 39-11 1/2 was set in 1989 by Mission Viejo’s Lisa Fager.

Trabuco Hills freshman Darnesha Griffith finished second with a personal-best 39-2 1/2; Edison junior Kerry O’Bric rounded out the county sweep of the event, taking third place at 39-0 3/4.

Mission Viejo freshman Ashley Bethel surpassed her county record in the 100-meter hurdles and earned team points in two individual events.

Bethel, the South Coast League champion in four events, finished third in the 100 hurdles, lowering her own area-best time to 14.19 seconds.

“Coming into the meet, I was fourth-ranked,” said Bethel, who also finished fifth in the long jump (18-10 3/4). “So I’m happy that I moved up one spot and ran faster.”

Esperanza senior Courtney Pugmire rounded out one of the county’s finest distance-running careers, which included five Southern Section individual titles, finishing second in the 1,600 and third in the 3,200.

Pugmire, the Masters Meet champion in both events, ran a personal-best 4:50.47 in the 1,600, which ranks as the county’s ninth-fastest, and 10:38.40 in the 3,200.

Tara Oettinger of Foothill finished fourth in the long jump, which she won last year, leaping a wind-aided 18-11.

Her teammate, Sabrina Caplis, used a strong finishing kick to earn a medal spot in the 800, running 2:13.84 for sixth place.

Tayyiba Haneef of Laguna Hills and Kristy Kierulff of Esperanza high jumped 5-8, finishing fifth and seventh.

Cara Heads of Newport Harbor, who threw 149-5 in the discus in the qualifying rounds Friday evening, managed a toss of 140-7 for fifth place.