Esperanza’s Pugmire Is Making Up for Lost Times : Track: A low finish kept her out of the big meet last spring. This year, she has hit her stride toward the State meet.

CERRITOS —  At 5 feet 6 inches, 120 pounds, a bow holding her red hair off of her freckled face, Esperanza junior Courtney Pugmire is anything but intimidating as she toes the starting line.

But the sound of the gun ignites a fire in Pugmire, one that burns intensely against every middle distance runner she has raced this spring.

The fire stems from a missed opportunity in last year’s State track and field meet. Pugmire was sixth (2:16.77) in the the 1993 Masters Meet in the 800 meters, one place shy of qualifying for the meet.

“That was the motivation for this year.” Aztec cross country Coach Rich Medellin said.

“She is really focused and knows what she has to do every single day, both when she practices and races.”

That focus, which Medellin says exemplifies Pugmire’s determination since that outing last may, has not only helped Pugmire achieve her goal of running in the State meet in the 800, but the 1,600 as well.

“I’m proud of myself, because I conquered that fear that I had about the 800 after last year’s Masters Meet,” said the junior, who finished third in the Masters 1,600 (5:04.07) and fifth in the 800 (2:15.50) just 45 minutes later.

“Normally she gets 2 1/2 hours between the two races,” Aztec track Coach Al Britt said.

“She had never been faced with just 45 to 50 minutes, not to mention running against some pretty good runners.”

Britt said Pugmire’s tenacity was never more evident than at the Southern Section Division II finals, where Pugmire helped the Aztec girls to their first team title.

Pugmire, the three-time all-county selection in cross country, won the 1,600 meters in 5:06.62, then managed to hold off late-charging freshman Katie Nuanes of Santa Margarita to take the honors in the 800, posting a personal best of 2:16.64.

“Courtney is such a great competitor,” said Britt about Pugmire, who also anchored the 1,600 relay to crown the Aztecs in the divisional championships.

“If she’s got it, she’ll lay it out there.”

Her coming-out party began after a cross-country season in which she was 11th at the Orange County championships.

At the county championships at Trabuco Hills in April, Pugmire’s blistering finishing kick enabled her to lead a 1-2 Aztec sweep of the 1,500 with teammate Carrie Caulkins.

“That was an awakening day,” said Pugmire, who posted a time of 4:41.98, which converted to 1,600 meters is her personal best of 5:02.78.

“That was the day that I realized that I can run with the big girls.”

It seems as though running with the big girls has always come easily to Pugmire, who attended her first cross-country practice a third of the way through her freshman season and finished third in the ensuing meet on one of the county’s most talented teams.

“Right away, I knew we had something special with her and that she had some talent,” said Medellin, whose Aztec squad finished second in the county meet last fall.

Britt saw the same thing.

“Her talent isn’t much different than the other kids on the team, it’s just all in her personality that’s very competitive,” he said.

From there, Pugmire was the top Aztec at the prestigious Mt. San Antonio College Invitational and moved on to qualify with the ninth and final spot to the section finals, where she finished seventh in her first season running the 800.

What is unusual though for a distance runner is the fact that Pugmire has been versatile for the Aztecs.

Experiencing every event from the 400 through 1,600, Pugmire has run legs on the 400 and 1,600 relays and even found time to advance to the section preliminaries in the 300 intermediate hurdles.

“We needed her to hurdle the last couple of years and she did that for the team,” said Britt of Pugmire, who posted a best of 47.2 in the event. “But her temperament is best suited for the 800 meters because you have to be able to go out and run hard and then kick at the end.”

“No, I don’t miss running the hurdles,” Pugmire said. “It was something that was fun and the coaches were great, but I wasn’t really that good.”

Finding her niche this spring, Pugmire has focused on distance running all season, choosing to train with the cross-country team year-round, rather than venture onto the track for spring-time training.

“Al and I talked it over and decided that Courtney would train with me all year, and it has been good for both her and the team,” Medellin said.

The decision was much easier than the one Pugmire faces now: which event to concentrate on at the State meet this Friday and Saturday at Cerritos College.

As she will tell you though, it’s better to have and choice than not have one at all.