Conant's Gorden is up to the task

“She's down” — two words no track athlete wants to hear, especially on the biggest of stages.

But that's exactly what Conant's Sarah Gorden heard last spring.

Those two words came from the P. A. booth of O'Brien Stadium at Eastern Illinois during last year's Class 3A state preliminaries, along with the groans of the sun-splashed crowd.

Gorden, then a junior, had taken fifth in Class 3A in the 300 low hurdles her sophomore year, and was leading the second heat of last year's low hurdle preliminaries. But she over-reached on the second-to-last hurdle and found herself embracing the light blue track surface of O'Brien Stadium — a pretty lonely place.

“I caught the edge of the hurdle,” said Gorden, who ended up finishing ninth in her heat. “I wasn't even thinking. I just remember my head on the ground and hearing the announcer say ‘She's down.' It was devastating.”

But Gorden didn't stay down.

The senior has elevated her performance this season, taking first at the Illinois Prep Top Times meet in the 55 low hurdles (8.35). She tied a school record in the 100 lows (14.5) at the Cougar Twilight last Friday, and then came back on Saturday morning to hit a school record with the top mark in Class 3A in the 300 low hurdles (43.8).

“The best part about Sarah is she hates to lose,” said Conant coach Bob Borczak. “Everyone gets someone like that once in awhile. When you combine that attitude with the athletic ability, you have something special.”

And Gorden has been special since finishing second in the 300 low hurdles at the Mid-Suburban League meet to Barrington's Molly Glantz as a freshman.

Gorden has won two state medals, including a ninth-place finish last season in the 100 high hurdles. She's a key member of the Cougars' sprint relays and holds school record in both the 100 high hurdles and 300 low hurdles.

On Friday at the Mid-Suburban League meet at Prospect, the senior will be seeking her third consecutive 300 low hurdles title and second consecutive 100 high hurdles title.

Gorden is a natural athlete. She will be attending DePaul University on a soccer scholarship and will study communications, and she is the starting left outside back for the Eclipse Select Soccer club.

Gorden's speed transitioned well into track, where she ran as a freshman on Conant's 1,600 relay that qualified for state, the same year the Cougars finished third in Class 3A.

Gorden also is a major contributor for the Cougars sprint relays that feature seniors Taylor Graham, Tara Goehrke, and Tina Tortorici, along with juniors Angela Herrmann and Maya Lane.

This year Gorden has put the whole package together, combining her speed, power, and strength. It showed in an eight-day span where the senior ran a combined 15 races, including preliminaries.

The biggest difference for Gorden this year has been her focus. It definitely shows in the 300 low hurdles where the Cougars senior blasts off the blocks, hugs the curves and then explodes down the home stretch all while using a technically sound form to glide over the hurdles.

“I eat, breathe, sleep track,” said Gorden. “I think about it before I go to bed, it's what I think about when I wake up in the morning. Right now track is my No. 1 priority.”

And it showed in the eight-day span where Gorden easily topped Fenwick 2010 state qualifier Erin McCoy in 100 high hurdles (15.05) and 300 low hurdles (46.29) at the Lake Park Invitational on April 23.

Gorden came back the following Tuesday night to take first at the MSL West division meet in the 100 high hurdles (15.0).

She then made her final appearance at Conant last Friday, taking first and tying a school record in the 100 highs (14.5) and cruising to the 300 lows title (45.3) while leading the Cougars to first in the 400 relay (49.8) and second in the 1,600 relay (4:09.4).

But Gorden wasn't done.

The sun was just starting to penetrate the clouds early last at Saturday morning at the Palatine Relays and Gorden, who was getting by on 5 hours of sleep after Cougar Twilight, was shaking out the cobwebs. She'd be facing her stiffest competition of the year for 300 low hurdles in Peoria Richwood sophomore Brenna Detra, who had won 3 state medals in Class 2A in 2010, including hitting a state record in finishing second in the 300 lows (44.28)

Pulsating through Gorden's ears was the sound of Eminem's “Lose Yourself” as she prepared for the test.

Detra (43.3) was able to pull away in the last two hurdles, but the sleep-deprived Gorden, despite a taxing week, finished second with a Class 3A state best time and school record (43.8).

“I've never seen her look quite so tired,” said Borczak, “But if you can run a 43 after last night … We're ready.”

Even her teammates who see her perform daily were in awe.

“I saw she ran a 43, I was amazed,” said senior Tara Goehrke of Gorden, who also helped lead the Cougars to a pair of sizzling victories in the 400 relay (49.4) and 800 relay (1:45.6). “Every meet it is just something else, it's amazing.”

And Detra took notice of the buzz Gorden is creating this season

“I know about her — I ran against her last year and I was pretty nervous coming into the race,” said Detra. “She got off to a great start and it was all about catching her.”

The Class 3A state meet looms just two weeks away, but after a spectacular eight-day run Gorden looks ready to meet the challenge, especially in a wide-open 300 low hurdle field.

“This is what I work for, I want to be the best,” said Gorden taking a peak into the future. “I picture going out this year with no regrets, working hard, do my best, and hopefully that will bring a state championship.”

O'Brien Stadium sits quietly now in Charleston, awaiting another group of state qualifiers in 13 days.

Perhaps it has heard the unspoken message Gorden sent in the final week of April — “She's back.”