Hasay Wins National Cross-Country Title

Jordan Hasay, a diminutive freshman from tiny San Luis Obispo Mission Prep, wasn’t intimidated Saturday as she took on the nation’s best high school distance runners at the Foot Locker National Cross-Country Championships, defeating the defending champion and the two-time runner-up on the 3.1-mile course at Balboa Park in San Diego.

Hasay, a 5-foot-2, 95-pound resident of Arroyo Grande, took the lead at the midway point and looked back only once en route to winning in 17 minutes 5 seconds. She joins 1993 winner Erin Davis of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., as the only freshmen to win the event in its 27-year history and 1995 winner Kim Mortensen of Thousand Oaks as the only Southland champions.

It was also the fastest time on the course since Julia Stamps of Santa Rosa ran 16:41 in 1994.

“A freshman to be that good, that’s amazing,” said Marie Lawrence of Reno, who finished second for the third consecutive year, 14 seconds behind Hasay but 20 seconds faster than her time a year ago.

A.J. Acosta, a senior at nearby Oceanside El Camino, won the boys’ race in 15:02, less than a second ahead of late-charging Michael Coe, a senior at Lompoc Cabrillo.

Hasay used a similar strategy last week when she came from behind to beat Lawrence at the Foot Locker West Regional at Mt. San Antonio College.

She held herself back again Saturday as Lawrence and defending champion Aislinn Ryan of Bellvale, N.Y., took the leaders through the first mile in 5:18. Hasay then moved into the lead at the halfway point and gradually pulled away.

Aislinn Ryan of Bellvale finished third in 17:34, followed by Megan O’Reilly of Colbert, Wash., in 17:36 and Phelan Serrano sophomore Kauren Tarver in 17:40.

-- Dan Arritt

Boys’ Basketball

Isaiah Jenkins scored 19 points and Jarred Dubois had 10 for Westchester in a 55-52 victory over Compton Dominguez in the championship game of the Westchester tournament.

Westchester (4-0), No. 4 in The Times’ preseason rankings, trailed, 31-26, at halftime but held Dominguez to six-of-30 field goal shooting in the second half. Dominguez guard Patrick Christopher missed a three-point attempt at the buzzer.

Second-ranked Dominguez (3-1) made only one of 14 three-point attempts.

Christopher had 18 points to lead the Dons and Audwin Tolbert and Brandon Jennings each had nine.

-- Peter Yoon