Posted on Mon, Nov. 23, 2009

Former Mission Prep star and current University of Oregon freshman Jordan Hasay finished 18th as an individual Monday at the NCAA Track and Field Championships in Terre Haute, Ind.

Hasay, an Arroyo Grande native, ran the 6K women’s race in 20 minutes, 23.1 seconds, earning All-America honors by posting the Ducks’ best time and leading Oregon to a ninth-place team finish with 276 points at the event hosted by Indiana State.

“When I first finished, I was pretty disappointed,” Hasay said. “My goal was to get in the top 10 as an individual, and obviously, I wanted to do much better. It wasn’t my best day, but I hung in there the best I could, and to finish 18th in my first race (in Terre Haute), I’ll take it.”

Hasay said she’s pleased with her overall season and how she’ll be able to translate it to her upcoming track schedule.

“As a whole, I’m really pleased,” she said. “Besides this race, I did better than I expected in all the other races. I’m really fit and my training is better than it has been. It wasn’t my best day, but things are definitely going well.”

Hasay, who set nine national high school records during her prep career with the Royals, had the third-best time for a freshman, trailing only Colorado’s Allie McLaughlin (in fifth at 20:01.1) and UTEP’s Risper Kimaiyo (ninth, 20:10.9). Illinois senior Angela Bizzarri won as an individual in 19:46.8.

“It was a weird day,” Hasay said. “The pace kind of strung out early on, and I was trying to hang on.”

Colorado’s Jenny Barringer, the meet favorite and leader for the opening half, collapsed midway through the race, which featured a number of upsets and surprising finishes.

Villanova won the women’s title as a team with 86 points.

In the men’s 10K race, Cal Poly senior Joe Gatel came in 110th in 31:03 — a three-second improvement upon his time as a junior.

Liberty’s Samuel Chelanga won with a record time of 28:41, while Oklahoma State won the men’s team title with 127 points, as all five of its runners placed in the top 77. Gatel’s presence marked the 11th straight season Cal Poly was represented either by an individual or as a team at the championships.