USATF News & Notes, Volume 9, Number 4 Jordan Hasay chooses Oregon

Five-time USA Track and Field national champion Jordan Hasay, who wowed the crowd at Historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., during the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials, has signed a national letter of intent to compete for the University of Oregon.

The 2008-09 Gatorade National Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year, Hasay, who runs for Mission College Preparatory Catholic High School in San Luis Obispo, Calif., was an instant hit with the appreciative audience at Hayward Field on July 4 when she set the national high school record in the semifinals of the 1,500 meters at the Olympic Trials by finishing in 4 minutes 14.50 seconds. Two weeks prior to the Trials, she won the 1,500 meters at the USA Junior Track & Field Championships in Columbus, Ohio. That qualified her for the World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland, where she placed fourth in a race that came just one week after her 10th place finish in the 1,500m finals at the Olympic Trials.

In December, she capped a remarkable high school cross country career by becoming just the sixth two-time winner of the Foot Locker National Girls Cross Country Championships. Hasay was also the 2005 victor. Prior to her win in San Diego, she became the first person to win four consecutive CIF state cross country championships, winning the 2008 title in an all-division leading time of 17:18. She is also the only winner of four straight Foot Locker West Regional titles.

“Jordan Hasay is one of the most exciting young athletes in the sport of track and field,” said Associate Athletic Director Vin Lananna. “Her electrifying performances at the U.S. Olympic Trials this summer mesmerized Track Town, USA. Coach Maurica Powell and I really connected with Jordan early in the process and developed a strong bond with Jordan, her parents and her coach.

Hasay’s impressive list of awards compiled during the past 12 months includes Track & Field News’ Girls High School Athlete of the Year, USA Track and Field’s Youth Athlete of the Year, USA Today’s High School Track and Field Girls Athlete of the Year and DyeStat Girls Athlete of the Year.

Earning national honors from Gatorade made Hasay a finalist for the Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year Award, which will be announced at the ESPY Awards in July. She is also a two-time Gatorade California Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year and won the 2007 and 2008 USA Cross Country Junior Championships.

About USA Track & Field

USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world’s oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States.

For more information on USATF, visit www.usatf.org