Day gains valuable experience

Steve Virgen

Usually Jasmin Day’s last name is used as a playful pun to describe

what a great performance she had in cross country, soccer or track

and field.

However, at the CIF State girls cross country championships, it

just wasn’t Jasmin’s day.

The Costa Mesa High sophomore felt a bit queasy from being in her

first state meet and finished 61st in 19:56 in Division III at

Woodward Park in Fresno.

“She didn’t have a great day,” Mustang Coach Joe Busi said. “She’s

not feeling well and it came out at the end. Overall she had a great

season. It’s her first season in cross country. We look forward to

the track and field season.”

Day did not take out the first mile as fast as she would have

liked and tried to make up for it throughout the rest of the race.

She finished the first mile in 5:49, about 20 seconds off the pace of

the top five.

Junior Alicia Follmar of Saratoga won the Division III title in

17:40.

Into the second mile, Day lost some stamina because of stomach

pain. She said she woke up with some nausea. She was excited to

compete in her first state meet.

“I was just anxious to run,” said Day, who is in her first season

of cross country competition. “Next year I am going to come back here

and do better.”

As a freshman, Day competed in volleyball and helped lead the

Mustangs to a Golden West League title. She is also a standout in

soccer, as she was an important part of the Mustangs’ successful

2002-03 season that ended with a Golden West League title and a share

of the CIF Southern Section Division III title.

In cross country this fall, Day captured the Golden West League

individual championship. Last week, Day finished fifth in 18:26 in

Division III of the CIF Southern Section finals at Mt. San Antonio

College.

“She was solid in the 800 last year [in track and field],” Busi

said of Day’s ability to find success in cross country. “And all of

the condition with soccer gave her great stamina for cross country,

and overall she is just a great athlete.”