GENDER ROLLS WRESTLER'S RUN PROOF GIRLS CAN PLAY.

Byline: Matthew Kredell Staff Writer

LANCASTER - Rene Mortensen's father held his foot down as long as he could. Ultimately, however, he found out what Golden League wrestlers went on to discover this season: She's not an easy girl to pin.

Finally allowed to wrestle against the boys, Mortensen, from Lancaster High, surprised even herself. She is the first girl out of the Golden League to qualify for the Southern Section individual championships, which will be next weekend at Ayala High in Chino Hills.

``My dad never let me wrestle before, so I was happy just to be out there,'' Mortensen said. ``I never thought I would make it this far. To make it this far is awesome.''

Mike Mortensen had valid concerns. His three sons had wrestled, but a daughter in a male sport is different.

``Just the idea of a young man and woman wrestling still bothers me a little,'' Mike said. ``When they wrestle, you know, their hands are everywhere. When she is out there, she really isn't worrying about where their hands are because she's thinking about her next move. But, when you're sitting in the stands watching, you see it.''

With Rene entering her senior year, Mike decided she was old enough to make her own decision. She had been the team manager since she was a freshman.

Incidental touching has not been a problem for Mortensen. She recognizes it as a part of what she was taking on when she chose to pursue the sport.

``My teammates sometimes notice it and they get upset, but I'm so into the match that I don't even feel if they grab me or do something inappropriate,'' Mortensen said. ``And I don't think they even realize it because they're wrestling. Once the match is going, they don't even notice I'm a girl.''

Opponents have much more to worry about when facing Mortensen, which wasn't the case early in the season. She thought wrestling would come easily because she had been around it all her life.

``She had been around her brothers for so long that she knew the moves,'' Lancaster coach Pat Hayhurst said. ``She knew what things looked like from the sidelines. She even helped me coach a little bit. When she got out there, she realized it was a lot harder to do the moves than to call out them.''

The biggest difference was in strength. Basic physiology shows men have a higher potentiality for strength than women. Add that Mortensen weighs 98 pounds - at least five less than most of her male competitors in the 103-pound weight class - and she faces a disadvantage.

``I was reading an article a while ago in which there was a comparison that a girl wrestling a guy is like a guy wrestling a gorilla,'' Mortensen said. ``It was a good comparison, whether guys believe it or not.''

She learned to overcome the strength difference by being quicker and not letting them get her into position to use strength moves.

But it took time. She struggled early in the season and wasn't expected to qualify for the Southern Section finals. She beat three guys, including two who had defeated her earlier, to finish third at the Golden League finals last week. The top three advanced.

``I didn't know if she was going to have a shot,'' Hayhurst said. ``To be honest with you, I thought she had the desire but just didn't have the strength and ability to beat the boys she did. Everyone was very pleasantly surprised and excited for her. When her finish was announced, there was a long round of applause, not just from us but from fans of all schools.''

There are three other female wrestlers in the Golden League, but they are more of the token variety. Mortensen was more than a contributor to her team; she was one of only four Lancaster wrestlers to qualify for the postseason.

``It's definitely pretty cool,'' Highland wrestler Evan Salas said. ``Our girls work pretty hard. I know she does, too, and she deserves to be there.''

Mortensen earned respect from opposing wrestlers and coaches.

``She's a tough girl and a tough wrestler,'' Highland coach Mike Young said. ``She's not one you can take for granted. She certainly isn't a token win. Make no mistake, she'll get you. She's aggressive, and she goes right after people. She's a gutty performer and doesn't quit.''

Rene is the second Mortensen to qualify for the Southern Section individuals. Her brother, Jesse, who is serving a Mormon mission in the Dominican Republic, went on to Masters as a wrestler at Lancaster in 2000.

Jesse didn't want his sister to wrestle. When he found out she was, he told her she had better make him proud.

``The whole season was to basically show my brother that I could do it and live up to his name,'' Rene said. ``I told him via e-mail, and he sent one back saying, `I guess there's a little Mortensen in your blood because you're good at wrestling and that's what Mortensens do.' ''

Mortensen hopes the publicity from beating the boys will help her get a scholarship to a college that has a women's wrestling program. First, she plans to attend Antelope Valley College and to continue wrestling freestyle.

Her ultimate goal is to make the Olympics. Women's wrestling is just starting as an Olympic sport, with the first competition in 2004.

She will have another opportunity for exposure next weekend, against some of the toughest guys she will have faced.

``I'm a little apprehensive,'' Mortensen said. ``I know I probably won't make it too far. I'm sure guys I go up against are going to be going like, `Oh, they threw me an easy one.' I want to prove them wrong. I want to show that girls aren't so easy.''

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Photo:

Lancaster wrestler Rene Mortensen is the first girl in Golden League history to reach the Southern Section individual championships.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer