MORTENSEN OUT FOR SEASON WITH INJURY; FORMER T.O. STAR, NOW AT UCLA, SHOULD BE BACK IN TIME FOR TRACK.Byline: Rizza Yap Daily News Staff Writer UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX cross country coach Eric Peterson For the musician of the same name, see . Eric Neal Peterson (born October 2, 1946) is a Canadian stage and television actor, best known for his roles in three major Canadian series – Street Legal, Corner Gas and This is Wonderland. has just one wish for sophomore Kim Mortensen - that the Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. graduate complete a season in good health. Mortensen, who suffered a hamstring ailment ail·ment n. A physical or mental disorder, especially a mild illness. at the end of the 1996 season, was diagnosed with a stress fracture stress fracture n. A fatigue fracture of bone caused by repeated application of a heavy load, such as the constant pounding on a surface by runners, gymnasts, and dancers. in the sacrum sacrum: see spinal column. after undergoing an MRI 1. (application) MRI - Magnetic Resonance Imaging. 2. MRI - Measurement Requirements and Interface. on Wednesday. Six to eight weeks of rest and rehabilitation are required for recovery, which ends the season for Mortensen. Last year, the hamstring injury hamstring injury Sports medicine A muscle injury of biceps femoris, seen in sprinters and runners, when a contracted muscle meets a lengthening force, overpowering intrinsic muscle resiliency Management RICE, NSAIDs, gradual ↑ of pain-free activity–eg, affected her performance in the District VIII race, where a 25th-place finish prevented her from qualifying for the national championships. Before the injury, Mortensen won three invitationals and placed second at the NCAA NCAA abbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association Preview Meet and the Pacific-10 Conference Championships. ``Right now, what I want to see her do is complete a season and put herself in a race against the best,'' Peterson said. ``Kim is part of the elite. That's a very small group of people in America, and she really deserves the opportunity to run against those people. ``My expectations are not on how fast she can run or what place she finishes in. I know when she runs against the best, that brings her best out, and that is phenomenal.'' Before doctors discovered the stress fracture, Mortensen initially was diagnosed with a gluteal gluteal /glu·te·al/ (gloo´te-al) pertaining to the buttocks. glu·te·al adj. Of or relating to the buttocks. gluteal pertaining to the buttocks. strain, which has caused discomfort in her right hip and back for the past two weeks. She was injured while cooling down after placing second to defending NCAA champion Amy Skieresz of Arizona, who's also an area product, at the Aztec Invitational in San Diego. Mortensen said she experienced no discomfort during the race. ``It was pretty spontaneous,'' said Mortensen, the U.S. national prep cross country champion in 1996. To help repair the injury, Mortensen has been receiving twice-a-day treatments that involve ultrasound tests, soft tissue work and icing. Her focus was getting well in time for this weekend's NCAA Preview Meet in South Carolina South Carolina, state of the SE United States. It is bordered by North Carolina (N), the Atlantic Ocean (SE), and Georgia (SW). Facts and Figures Area, 31,055 sq mi (80,432 sq km). Pop. (2000) 4,012,012, a 15. . She already sat out the prestigious Stanford Invitational on Sept. 27, which she won in 1996. ``That was a disappointment,'' Mortensen said, several days after the Stanford race. ``There were a lot of great teams, and it would've been a great opportunity to run, but it didn't happen. It was great to see the team do so well, but I wish I could've been a part of that. I'd like to be able to run next weekend. I'm praying, hoping that's part of God's plan.'' Earlier this week, however, Mortensen was still questionable for Saturday's race. Peterson, concerned that Mortensen wasn't making solid progress, ordered the MRI. Without Mortensen, senior Katherina Kechris and true freshman Julie Ott will lead the UCLA women's team, ranked No. 21 in the nation. As a team, the Bruins placed fourth at Stanford, first in the Aztec Invitational and second at the UC Irvine Invite, in which Mortensen set a new course record. Even if cross country is out of the picture this year for Mortensen, she should be well enough to compete as a long distance track runner in the spring. Earlier this year she redshirted the track season when problems in her hamstring persisted through the winter and spring. ``The injury developed towards the end of cross country season, and Kim had the first bad race she has had in 18 months,'' Peterson said. ``At that point, I was concerned with the level she was training at. She was pushing her body really hard. I had made the decision in January to redshirt her track season and give her time to relax. She was pretty resistant to the idea of not competing.'' Mortensen's method of training is running fewer-than-average miles in a faster-than-average amount of time. Whereas most collegiate cross country runners would train at 40 to 55 miles per week, she runs about 26 to 31 at a warm-up pace of 6:20 per mile. ``I had heard that about her, but I never believed it until I saw it,'' Peterson said. ``Kim's a tremendously talented athlete, and if she realizes her full potential at the collegiate level, she will be one of the top (runners) in the world by her early to mid-20s.'' CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1) UCLA's Kim Mortensen, running in the 1996 Pacific-10 cross country championships, is out for the season with a hamstring injury. Kirby Lee / Special to the Daily News (2) Former Thousand Oaks High School Thousand Oaks High School is a high school established in 1962 and located in Thousand Oaks, California. It is a California Distinguished School, and offers curriculum at all levels for Thousand Oaks students. The mascot is the lancer. star Kim Mortensen, now running for UCLA, has had to battle injuries the past few years. John McCoy / Daily News |
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