Sweating out state finals Sweating out state finals (June 10, 2005)

Los Altos sophomores get taste of tough competition

By Scott Campbell

The looks on their faces showed they knew they belonged.

Eric Hersey and Bria Nelson, two Los Altos sophomores, had earned entry to the state track and field championships because they proved themselves the class of the Central Coast Section. But it was their reaction to adversity that showed why they weren't just happy to be in Sacramento.

Neither performed at the level they demand of themselves in the preliminaries on June 3, running races that consisted of poor form or slow times. But one advanced to the state finals nevertheless, and both were eager to impart the invaluable lessons they learned from competing against such a high level of competition.

"I think I can come out here and do much better than that race right there," said Hersey, who still qualified for the finals in the 110-meter hurdles. "I'm excited because I've got so much knowledge to gain about hurdling. I feel like I can improve so much more."

Hersey was surprised to find that he posted a personal record in the 110-meter hurdles in the preliminaries, finishing in 14.44. He found little saving grace with his performance, from start to finish.

"I got out of the blocks the slowest I think I've ever gotten out this year," said Hersey, who finished fourth in his heat won by California's David Kletch in 13.94. "I just felt too loose, a little bit messy."

Los Altos coach Julia Widstrand agreed, saying, "He PR'd, but it was a horrible race. He obviously has the talent now to make up for the mistakes he makes in his race. If he can run that fast in an (off) race, he's well on his way to really dropping some time."

While Hersey awaited word on whether his time would earn him a berth in the following day's finals, Nelson took the track in her 400-meter heat. And just like her teammate, Nelson was forced to play catch-up from the start.

The runner-up in the CCS finals after posting a school-record time of 56.71 the week before, Nelson quickly fell behind and saw everything snowball from there.

"I didn't get out like I wanted to, so my start just killed my whole race," said Nelson, who was crestfallen after finishing in 58.84.

Asked whether it was difficult to try to make up ground on the leaders, Nelson said, "It's tough. I haven't had to do that before, so it's hard."

The two Eagles were sharing their post-race thoughts when the Hughes Stadium announcer began listing the qualifying finalists in the 110-meter hurdles. With the top nine of the twenty-six semifinalists advancing, Hersey was unsure if he would move on, but heard his name called as the last qualifier.

"I was so excited," said Hersey, who won the CCS title with a 14.45 showing a week earlier in Los Gatos. "You hear all the big names up there ... all these guys that I've been watching through the stats all year, and to hear my name up there with all those guys is just incredible."

Hersey proved he can compete with those big names, as he finished the finals with a time of 14.50 on June 4, good for ninth place.

Meanwhile, Nelson was itching to take the track again as soon as she collected herself. With a determination evident in her voice, she spoke of being relieved that an opportunity to do just that is right around the corner.

"Next week we have Golden West and that's where I can make up for this race," said Nelson. "I'm excited for that."

Los Altos senior Jeff Clark will join Hersey and Nelson in competing at the Golden West Invitational in Sacramento on June 12.

As for the sophomores' first foray into competing at the state level, Widstrand said, "For both of them this was all about the experience. They get to work the butterflies out and ... get a great opportunity to run and compete, to figure out what it's all like. They've got two more years ahead of them and they should assume they will be here."

E-mail Scott Campbell at sports@mv-voice.com

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