Canyon’s Girls Pack 1-2 Punch in the 3,200

Junior Julie Harris and freshman Lauren Fleshman of Canyon High had lower expectations than did their coach coming into Saturday’s Pasadena Games at Occidental College.

Never mind that the pair led the Cowboys to the 1995 state Division I cross-country championship, Harris and Fleshman expected to finish third and fourth in the girls’ 3,200 meters.

Especially once they discovered a late entrant in the race, Andrea Neipp of Highland.

Harris said the pair’s strategy was simply to pace together throughout the race, but the strategy paid off as both runners knocked more than 15 seconds off their personal bests with Harris winning in 11 minutes 6.91 seconds, just ahead of Fleshman’s 11:09.11.

Both runners attributed their success to teamwork.

“It really helps me to run with her since I’m in my first year,” Fleshman said.

Said Harris: “It’s really nice to have a teammate to run with. The others were basically running by themselves.”

Said Fleshman: “I think I could have broken 11 [minutes], but I guess I picked it up too late on the last lap.”

Fleshman and Harris weren’t the only local distance runners to repeat their cross-country success.

The Louisville girls’ distance medley relay team clocked a meet record of 12:21.73, the best outdoor time in the nation this year.

Three of the Royals’ four runners were members of the 1995 state Division IV cross-country champions.

Ashley Caro ran 1,200 meters in 3:51.5, Peggy Johnson clocked 60.5 for 400, Kelly Harrington clocked 2:22.0 on her 800 leg and state Division IV cross-country champion Shaluinn Fullove anchored with a 1,600 time of 5:06.9.