Sarah Baxter, ‘The Little Pony,’ is running with the big dogs

Sarah Baxter was only 11 at the time, but she says she remembers watching Jordan Hasay glide effortlessly over the dirt trail, a cape of long blond hair trailing her in the wind.

That fleeting figure left quite an impression, though, and from that moment on Baxter decided she wanted to be just like Hasay, a University of Oregon sophomore who was a four-time state cross-country champion and competed at the 2008 Olympic trials while in high school.

Baxter even let her own blond hair grow long.

And now, as a 14-year-old freshman at Simi Valley High School, Baxter is emulating her idol more closely than she ever imagined.

Last Saturday, she won the Southern Section Division I championship by covering a 3.25-mile course in 17 minutes and 40 seconds -- the fastest time by a girl in any division. At No. 7, she’s also the only freshman to be ranked nationally in the top 25.

On Saturday, Baxter will be going for her first state championship at Woodward Park in Fresno.

So much success so early surprised even her coach.

“I thought she’d be top two or three in the league and have a really good season,” Simi Valley Coach Roger Evans said, “but I didn’t expect her to be doing what she’s doing now for another two or three years.”

Baxter said one of her proudest achievements came less than a month ago when she ran Mt. San Antonio College’s 2.91-mile course in 16:41, shattering Hasay’s freshman record, set in 2005, by seven seconds.

“I was like, ‘How is this even possible?”’ Baxter said.

After the race, a meet official quietly told the young runner his nickname for Hasay: “The Stallion.” Then he gave Baxter a nickname: “The Little Pony.”

After all, Baxter is 5 feet tall and 86 pounds.

melissa.rohlin@latimes.com