Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Senior Lauren Blase competes for love of running
By JOHN KOVACH
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN — Lauren Blase, a senior on the Youngstown State cross country and track teams from Boardman High, is a perfect example of a student- athlete competing for the love of the sport.
That’s why it is so important that an organization such as the Youngstown Roadrunners Club chose Blase to receive its scholarship last year and again this year, because although it is not a full-ride, it certainly helps Lauren in her quest to excel as a student and runner.
“It’s $200 a semester. It’s only a partial scholarship. I also get $100 a semester with the Sokolov Family Scholarship. I got both scholarships the past two years,” said Blase, who has a 3.85 grade-point average as a major in exercise science.
Blase ran track and cross country at Boardman for three years, but, “I didn’t get a track or cross country scholarship to YSU. I went out on my own because I like it.”
She is planning to graduate in May and is making applications to enter a doctoral program in physical therapy.
Not only has Blase excelled academically, she also has become one the top distance runners on the YSU track and cross country teams under coach Brian Gorby — and in fact a school-record setter.
“I have been getting better every year. I wasn’t really that good in high school, but I have been increasing mileage and doing hard workouts and improving every year,” said Blase, who set school- and personal-best records in the 5,000-meter run (17:01) at the Penn Relays last April 23. It bested her previous best time of 17:30.
“There was a lot of good runners and competition, and that gave me more incentive,” she said of the Penn Relays. “It is easier to do better when you are competing against tons of good girls. I was running against some of the top colleges in America.”
Blase also is chasing four other school records in track. She ranks No. 2 in the indoor 3,000 (10:08.6), just .1 of a second off the school mark; No. 3 in the indoor 5,000 (17:48.6) and No. 4 in the outdoor 10,000 (36:39.6), all three times recorded earlier this year.
Her other career-best track times are: Indoor mile (5:11.1) in 2009 and the outdoor 10,000 (36:39.6) in 2009.
And this year in cross country, Blase has emerged as the top runner for YSU in its first two meets and is chasing another school record.
In the opener Sept. 5 in Akron, Blase covered the 5-kilometer course in 19:06 to place third in the Tommy Evans Invitational at Firestone Metro Park, leading the Penguins to second place.
Then on Sept. 11 at the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational hosted by Penn State at University Park, Pa., Blase did the 6-kilometer race in an outstanding 22:36 time to finish 14th while the Penguins placed fifth.
That 22:36 performance ranks No. 4 on YSU’s all-time 6-K record list, bettering by 42 seconds her previous best of 23:18 last year at the Bowling Green Falcon Invitational.
“It looks like I am running faster than last year. I ran faster at Akron and Penn State than I did last year,” said Blase, who is hoping to keep improving in YSU’s next outing Oct. 2 at the 5-K All-Ohio Championships at Delaware Golf Club at 2 p.m. hosted by Ohio Wesleyan.
She will be seeking to improve on her 51st-place finish last year in a team-best 19:35.2, and is optimistic of doing so.
“Again, I respond well to good competition in big races. It is a race with all Ohio schools in all divisions. That gives me extra incentive to see how I rank with the top runners in Ohio,” said Blase.
She also will be out to surpass her 15th-place and team-best 19:10 last year in the Horizon League Championships, which will be Oct. 31 at Kensington Metro Park in Milford, Mich., hosted by Detroit.
“The top 14 placed, and I got 15th so I am hoping to be in top 14 this year,” said Blase.
The daughter of Rick and Joni Blase, Lauren also has a brother, Kyle, who is a senior on the Boardman High tennis and golf teams.
kovach@vindy.com