Martha Pinto

School: Katella High School Sport: Cross-Country Class: Senior It's rather odd: Katella's Martha Pinto has won three Orange County championships but had never defeated Edison's Shelley Taylor. She never even expected to. But at the Central Park Cross-Country Invitational Saturday, Pinto used the hills to pass Taylor twice and finally beat her in the Division II race. Pinto had a slight lead after the first mile of the three-mile course, but Taylor went ahead of Pinto twice in the second mile.

Make no mistake, Martha Pinto has no regrets about attending Kansas State. She loved the area and the school. But Pinto saw little room for improvement after distance Coach John Capriotti resigned to accept a position with the Nike International track club after the Wildcats won the Big Eight cross-country title in Pinto's sophomore season in the fall of 1992. "The team was falling apart and it wasn't like it used to be," Pinto said. "People would just show up when they wanted to.

Martha Pinto of Katella High School, one of the best female distance runners in Orange County prep history, signed a letter of intent to attend Kansas State in the fall, Kansas State Coach John Capriotti said Monday. Pinto won four Orange County cross-country titles in four years. In track, she recorded the fifth-fastest 3,200-meter time (10 minutes 42.51 seconds) in county history last spring to place second in the State championship. Pinto also visited Utah State and Cal State Los Angeles.

The trees, once green and full as giant broccoli stalks, have changed to a vibrant red, yellow and gold. Bushy-tailed squirrels scurry through campus. The autumn air is crisp and clean, the sky a turquoise blue. Until a year ago, Martha Pinto had never heard of Manhattan, Kan. Now she runs through its streets and fields--and calls it home.

Soaring through space and exploring outer galaxies, Martha Pinto says, has always been one of her greatest dreams. Becoming an astronaut has been her long-time goal. But Pinto's friends tell her to forget it. "They say it will be too hard for me because I am too short," said Pinto, a 4-foot-11, 102-pound senior at Katella High School. "They say, 'It's not possible for you. Don't think about it; it won't happen.' " You would think her friends would know better.

Tracey Fatone proved that last week's victory over Martha Pinto was no fluke as the freshman again defeated Pinto in the 1,600 meters to help Los Alamitos High School win the girls' Empire League track and field finals Thursday at Fullerton College. The Griffins finished with 123 points. Esperanza was second with 112 1/2, and Loara finished in third place with 85. Fatone pulled away in the last 200 yards to win in 5 minutes 10.5 seconds. Pinto was second in 5:16.9. Fatone's victories marked only the second time in three years that Katella's Pinto has lost consecutive races.

Patience has never been one of Martha Pinto's virtues. Pinto, a Katella High School junior, generally believed that the harder and faster she ran in practice, the better she would do in competition. But like many runners who overdo, Pinto was more often hurt than healthy. Last fall, she suffered a hip injury during the cross-country season that slowed her training to a near-shuffle.

Make no mistake, Martha Pinto has no regrets about attending Kansas State. She loved the area and the school. But Pinto saw little room for improvement after distance Coach John Capriotti resigned to accept a position with the Nike International track club after the Wildcats won the Big Eight cross-country title in Pinto's sophomore season in the fall of 1992. "The team was falling apart and it wasn't like it used to be," Pinto said. "People would just show up when they wanted to.

The trees, once green and full as giant broccoli stalks, have changed to a vibrant red, yellow and gold. Bushy-tailed squirrels scurry through campus. The autumn air is crisp and clean, the sky a turquoise blue. Until a year ago, Martha Pinto had never heard of Manhattan, Kan. Now she runs through its streets and fields--and calls it home.

On a balmy evening last June, Kevin Carlson and Martha Pinto, teammates at Katella High School, danced in gleeful celebration as more than 10,000 track and field fans watched at Cerritos College. Distance, height and time brought the pair together, an odd couple if ever there was one. Carlson, 6-feet-4, had just cleared 7 feet in the high jump, breaking a seven-year-old Orange County record.

Martha Pinto of Katella High School, one of the best female distance runners in Orange County prep history, signed a letter of intent to attend Kansas State in the fall, Kansas State Coach John Capriotti said Monday. Pinto won four Orange County cross-country titles in four years. In track, she recorded the fifth-fastest 3,200-meter time (10 minutes 42.51 seconds) in county history last spring to place second in the State championship. Pinto also visited Utah State and Cal State Los Angeles.

On a balmy evening last June, Kevin Carlson and Martha Pinto, teammates at Katella High School, danced in gleeful celebration as more than 10,000 track and field fans watched at Cerritos College. Distance, height and time brought the pair together, an odd couple if ever there was one. Carlson, 6-feet-4, had just cleared 7 feet in the high jump, breaking a seven-year-old Orange County record.

School: Katella High School Sport: Cross-Country Class: Senior It's rather odd: Katella's Martha Pinto has won three Orange County championships but had never defeated Edison's Shelley Taylor. She never even expected to. But at the Central Park Cross-Country Invitational Saturday, Pinto used the hills to pass Taylor twice and finally beat her in the Division II race. Pinto had a slight lead after the first mile of the three-mile course, but Taylor went ahead of Pinto twice in the second mile.

Soaring through space and exploring outer galaxies, Martha Pinto says, has always been one of her greatest dreams. Becoming an astronaut has been her long-time goal. But Pinto's friends tell her to forget it. "They say it will be too hard for me because I am too short," said Pinto, a 4-foot-11, 102-pound senior at Katella High School. "They say, 'It's not possible for you. Don't think about it; it won't happen.' " You would think her friends would know better.

Patience has never been one of Martha Pinto's virtues. Pinto, a Katella High School junior, generally believed that the harder and faster she ran in practice, the better she would do in competition. But like many runners who overdo, Pinto was more often hurt than healthy. Last fall, she suffered a hip injury during the cross-country season that slowed her training to a near-shuffle.

Tracey Fatone proved that last week's victory over Martha Pinto was no fluke as the freshman again defeated Pinto in the 1,600 meters to help Los Alamitos High School win the girls' Empire League track and field finals Thursday at Fullerton College. The Griffins finished with 123 points. Esperanza was second with 112 1/2, and Loara finished in third place with 85. Fatone pulled away in the last 200 yards to win in 5 minutes 10.5 seconds. Pinto was second in 5:16.9. Fatone's victories marked only the second time in three years that Katella's Pinto has lost consecutive races.

Abilene Christian ran away with the men's and women's titles in the NCAA Division II national championships at UC Riverside. In the men's team race, Abilene Christian ended St. Augustine's seven-year streak as champion with 149 points. St. Augustine's was runner-up with 77 1/2 points, and also finished second to Abilene Christian in the women's meet, 136-86.

Mike Moreno led Katella High School to a first-place finish in the first co-ed high school division of the Bastille Day 8-K run Sunday in Newport Beach. The Katella senior finished first among the prep runners and 53rd among 3,800 runners overall with a time of 26 minutes 25 seconds. The Knights' No. 1 team finished in 9,759 seconds. Esperanza was third with 10,277 seconds; Katella No. 2 (10,309) was fourth; Woodbridge (11,144) fourth, and La Quinta (12,126) fifth.