Sports Briefs
Hennessy is best in America
By Dick Sparrer
It was a sensational finish to a fantastic year for Los Gatos junior speedster Heather Hennessy.
Hennessy, whose season appeared to end in disappointment when she was disqualified after winning the 800 meters at the Central Coast Section finals, finished the year in remarkable fashion by running to a victory at the Golden West Nationals and to seconds at the prestigious Foot Locker Classic and Junior Nationals.
A week after winning the Golden West title in school-record time, she shattered the school standard on her way to a second-place finish at the Foot Locker Classic in North Carolina.
Hennessy set a new school mark by running 2:07.73 at the Foot Locker. She finished second to Nisha Bernard Thomas, a foreign runner from a high school in Brooklyn, N.Y. So Hennessy was the top American finisher in the race, and her time was the best in the nation this season.
As if that wasn't enough, Hennessy traveled to Texas last weekend to compete against college freshmen in the Junior Nationals. She ran 2:10.53 on a hot, windy day to finish second to Nikita Green of Virginia in the under-20 age group.
Hennessy defeated Stanford freshman Lyndy Hyatt, a four-time state champion.
"It's a remarkable finish," said Los Gatos coach Willie Harmatz of Hennessy's showing. "She had a most unbelievable season. We're really happy for her."
Hennessy had been rolling through the opposition all year long, and won the CCS title. She when she was disqualified for an alleged bump on the final turn, that cost her a trip to the state meet.
The disappointment was short-lived, however. She came back to beat the state champion at Golden West, then capped the season with her performances at the Foot Locker and Junior Nationals.
Her time at the Foot Locker Classic ranks third in CCS history behind only Ann Reagan of Camden, who ran 2:04 in 1977, and Francie Larrieu, the four-time Olympian from Fremont.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
Los Gatos junior Heather Hennessy posted the best American time this season and the third-best time in CCS history at the Foot Locker Classic.
