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Casa's Taylor finishes third in Fresno Lockert twins, Andrade, McLeod also land in Top 25 By STEVE BRAND FOR THE PRESS DEMOCRAT Published: Saturday, November 29, 2008 FRESNO — One of the great things about sports like cross country is you can lose and not really lose. Have the short end on the scoreboard in football, and you have pretty much lost. Close calls don’t count in the standings. But there are two levels for runners. When there are upward of 200 competitors starting a race, there is the first one to cross the finish line and 199 others. But the second level says although there is just one champion, there is another way to celebrate. That’s the one Casa Grande’s Jacque Taylor took after finishing third Saturday in the State Division II Cross Country Championships over the 3.1-mile Woodward Park course. “If I couldn’t win, my fall-back goal was to improve my time, and I did that,” said the Gauchos junior, who covered the deceptively tough course of mostly rolling hills in 17 minutes, 40 seconds. Last year, she ran 17:44 and placed second. But there were two solid reasons why a faster time would result in a lower place even when the conditions were perfect for running. Reasons, mind you, not excuses. No. 1 reason, last year’s Division I champion Saugus, ranked among the nation’s top teams and No. 1 in the state, slipped down to Division II when its enrollment dropped. That meant Saugus sophomore Kaylin Mahoney was in the race, and she led her team to victory by capturing first place in 17:34, three seconds ahead of Huntington Beach Edison’s Hillary Hayes. And No. 2 reason, Taylor was on the downside of battling a cold. “I was probably 97 percent,” said Taylor, “I could feel it. I almost used one of those things you put on your nose to breathe better, but I decided against it. “I wasn’t quite all there.” Taylor’s game plan was to set such a hard pace everyone else in the race would use up all their energy trying to stay close. She had no trouble leading but simply could not shake the other two runners. With a half-mile to go, they eased past her, trying to build a gap because of Taylor’s reputation as a sizzling finisher. “Mahoney’s coach knew about my speed, and he was screaming at her to go,” said Taylor. “But I knew it was over. I was so tired by then I had nothing left. “I wanted to place higher, but improving my time gives me confidence (for the Foot Locker Western Regionals next weekend at Mt. Sac). I can celebrate this race for a day, but I start looking ahead tomorrow.” Generally speaking, a Top 25 finish in the meet that brings together the best in state is considered outstanding. In addition to Taylor, four other Empire runners accomplished that feat as Petaluma’s Isabel Andrade finished ninth in the Division III race, clocking a time of 18:15; Santa Rosa’s Rory McLeod was 18th in Div. II at 15:20; and Petaluma’s Lockert twins — Sterling (eighth in 15:31) and Devin (21st in 15:56) — led their team to a third-place finish in Div. III and a spot on the victory stand. The meet also saw San Luis Obispo Mission Prep’s Jordan Hasay match former Montgomery High standout Sarah Bei (1997-2000) as the state’s only four-time champions by winning her fourth Division V title in the day’s fastest time, 17:18.
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