‘Just fight, stay in it mentally — who wants it more?’ Lauren Ayers tries something new … and helps clinch a team title for Tualatin

“I still don’t know what really happened. I’m still taking it all in.”

By René Ferrán 

EUGENE — Lauren Ayers always considered herself a middle distance specialist.

That is, until the opportunity presented itself for the Tualatin girls to potentially win an OSAA track and field state championship for the first time in program history.

That’s when Ayers reassessed her options and decided maybe the 3,000 meters was the way to go.

“After seeing how everyone was running so far, I thought I could get some points in the 3K,” Ayers said.

The plan worked to perfection on a crisp Friday morning at Hayward Field. Ayers moved to the lead with two laps to go, then used the speed she developed as an 800-meter runner all her career to pull away over the final lap to win in 10 minutes, 1.57 seconds.

“I didn’t glance up to the screen until the 200 mark,” Ayers said. “I told myself, ‘Don’t look; just run scared. Just fight, stay in it mentally — who wants it more?’

“But I still don’t know what really happened. I’m still taking it all in.”

Her 10 points for the victory proved critical as Tualatin ended up sharing the team title with Lake Oswego — the first time the Timberwolves won a trophy at the state meet.

“We have a really great group of girls at Tualatin this year,” Ayers said. “I’m so glad I was able to get the 10 points for my team. That’s what I’m most excited about.”

Ayers entered Friday’s race with two 3Ks under her belt — a dual meet in April to get a qualifying mark for district and then the Three Rivers district championships, where she broke 10 minutes to win the title.

As the race progressed, she found herself getting boxed in, so she made a move to the outside to escape, eventually settling to fourth place as Southridge’s Erin Cosgrove set the pace. 

“I didn’t really know what to expect,” Ayers said. “But I had a really great support system. I could hear my teammates on every lap, just cheering me on, and that made all the difference.”