Fleshman Gears Up, Runs Down Rival

“I’m already running as fast as I can.”

That’s what Lauren Fleshman of Canyon High said she was thinking as she entered the homestretch on the 1,600-meter anchor leg of the girls’ distance medley relay in the Pasadena Games at Occidental College on Saturday night.

Fleshman, a senior who committed to Stanford on Tuesday, was stressed out at that point because she had just been passed by senior Kim Gildersleeve of Long Beach Wilson, runner-up in the 800 in the state championships last year and a member of the Bruins’ national-record setting 1,600 relay team.

Gildersleeve had run down Fleshman in the final straightaway of the invitational 800 earlier in the night, but Fleshman didn’t let it happen again. She pulled even with Gildersleeve with about 40 meters left and inched past her to give Canyon the victory in 12:47.79.

Long Beach Wilson finished second in 12:47.96.

“I just kept shifting to gears I didn’t know I had,” Fleshman said. “I just looked at [Gildersleeve] and thought, ‘You are so much faster than me.’ ”

Faster yes. But Gildersleeve, who began her leg with a 75-meter lead on Fleshman, lacked the strength of Fleshman, who ran 5:01.5 for the 1,600 split.

Fleshman, who teamed with freshman Jazmin Treadway, sophomore Alex Gutierrez and senior Jasmine Cetrone in the distance medley relay, began the meet with a victory in the 3,200 and followed with a third-place finish in the 800.

She pulled away from junior Valerie Flores of San Pedro on the final lap of the 3,200 to time 11:18.65, and clocked 2:16.26 in the 800 to finish behind the 2:15.50 of Gildersleeve and the 2:15.72 of Maribeth Buche of Anaheim Esperanza.

Senior Bridget Pearson of Hoover won the girls’ pole vault with a meet-record 11-6, junior Shane Hackett of Verdugo Hills took the boys’ pole vault at 14-6, junior Deneeka Torrey of Taft placed first in the girls’ 300 low hurdles in a career-best 44.27 and junior Jeff Arnold of St. Francis won the boys’ 3,200 in a career-best 9:31.21.

Torrey appeared to be headed for a second-place finish in the 300 lows, but won after leader Lashinda Demus of Long Beach Wilson hit the eighth and final barrier and fell.

Arnold and sophomore Tom Kubler of Viewpoint staged an exciting last-lap duel in the boys’ 3,200.

Kubler repelled two surges by Arnold in the final 400, but couldn’t hold off a third with 120 meters left. Arnold eclipsed his previous best by more than 20 seconds. Kubler was second in 9:31.74.

“I tried to go [past him] with about 400 to go, but he held me off,” Arnold said. “When I tried to go by him with about 250 left, he held me off again, but he looked then like he was running as fast as he could.”

Sophomore Porchea Carroll of Rio Mesa suffered her first losses of the season, but she turned in fine performances in the girls’ 100, 200 and long jump.

Carroll, defending Southern Section Division II champion in the 100 and 200, finished second in the 100 in 12.02, second in the 200 in a career-best 24.65 and second in the long jump at 18-1 1/2.