Hoping for the Best

Jim Riggio

BURROUGHS HIGH -- Carolyn Brown doesn’t like the idea of putting

pressure and demands on herself.

No stranger to the CIF Masters track and field meet, having raced in

the 800-meter event the past two years, the Burroughs High junior is

taking a relaxed approach as she attempts to return to the California

State meet.

Brown, who won the CIF Southern Section Division II title as a

freshman, finished third last season, and was second in last weekend’s

final, when she finished in 2 minutes 15.71 seconds.

Yet she isn’t disappointed and treats every race just the same.

The top nine times from the four CIF Southern Section divisions

qualify for the Master’s Meet, which were held Friday night.

“I ran a good race and if somebody is better than me, you can’t do

anything about that,” Brown said of the CIF Finals, when Mater Dei’s

Kristin Kovacich won in 2:14.68.

Brown set her personal best of 2:14.63 last season, in which she was

one of the top five in each event at the Master’s Meet who automatically

qualify for the state preliminaries.

“I think it’s definitely going to take a PR (personal record) to make

it,” Brown said. “I’m just trying to stay consistent, but in the final

100 or 200 meters it’s whatever you have left.”

Having finished fifth in last year’s Masters Meet, Brown said she

knows what she has to do to get through to the state prelims.

“You always aim to qualify and that would be fifth or above,” Brown

said.

Brown, who finished seventh in the Master’s Meet as a freshman, and

did not qualify for the state finals last year, said she isn’t looking

ahead, nor behind.

“I want to qualify for state first and then I’ll worry about state

prelims,” Brown said.

With many of the competitors in the 800, having run under 60 seconds

in the 400 meters, Brown, who has a best of 62 seconds, will have to rely

on her endurance to get her to the state meet.

“I try to go even (paced),” Brown said of the two-lap race.