That's West "Ranch."

Not Westlake, or West Bridge, or West Hills. No, it's West Ranch that broke through in girls distance running this spring.

The coaches recount trips to invitationals - as recently as this spring - where their school's name would be called out wrong by the public address announcer.

The announcer at the CIF State Track and Field Championship didn't make that mistake.

Jennifer Owen didn't give him any reason to.

Owen was the first West Ranch athlete to reach the CIF State Track and Field Championships, where she finished fourth overall in the 1,600-meter run.

Her performance brought some new blood to the distance races, events that are synonymous with Saugus when it comes to the Santa Clarita Valley.

But she was doing that long before the state finals.

The Signal's 2010 All-SCV Female Track and Field Athlete of the Year made a name for herself at invitationals as a member of the distance medley relay team. Her closing 1,600 leg at the California Relays helped the Wildcats hold the nation's top mark in the event for a period of time.

At the Arcadia Invitational, Owen helped the 4x800 relay team establish the nation's then-No. 2 mark.

That race demonstrated that Owen is more than just a 1,600 runner. The Foothill League finals put a stamp on it.

Owen turned in a staggering triple that night, when she won the league title in the 1,600, finished second in the 800 and wound up third in the 3,200, all within three hours of each other.

Her closing kick in the 1,600 was one of the highlights of the meet. A year after finishing second in the race by .01 seconds, Owen went from third place to first over the last 100 meters to wrestle the title away from Saugus' Stephanie Bulder.

Owen went on to finish third at the CIF-Southern Section Division II finals in both the 800 and the 1,600. Two weeks later, she set the school record in the 1,600 at the state meet.

And she still has her senior season in front of her, when she'll be one of the top returning distance runners in the state.

That's "Jennifer Owen." From West "Ranch."

* * * * * * * *

2010 All-Santa Clarita Valley Girls Track and Field Team

Faith Anumba - Junior, Valencia
It may seem odd to select someone who didn't win a Foothill League championship and didn't make it out of CIF prelims. At least until you realize she was league runner-up in the long jump, high jump and 100-meter dash and gave Valencia a boost in multiple events all season.

Stephanie Bulder - Junior, Saugus
No, Saugus didn't send a girls distance runner to the state meet for the first time since 2004. But that doesn't diminish Bulder's performances this season, highlighted by a league championship in the 3,200 and three crucial points in the 1,600 and 3,200 - despite illness - at the CIF-SS Div. II finals.

Jasmine Hall - Junior, Valencia
Hall scores points for the Vikings in several different events, but the high jump has been the kindest to her. She repeated as league champion in the event and advanced to the state meet, where she finished tied for fifth and cleared the tallest height of any non-senior in Clovis.

Tiffini Stone - Sophomore, Canyon
As a freshman, Stone finished third in the long jump at the CIF-SS Div. II finals. This season, she finished second. That trend indicates big things next spring. As for this spring, Stone shook off a slow start to repeat as league champion in both the long and triple jumps.

Taylor Thomas - Sophomore, Canyon
Thomas didn't lose a hurdles race during league season and won her second straight league titles in the 100 and 300 hurdles. More impressively, however, she finished fifth in both events at the CIF-SS Div. II finals, and she also lent her talents to the sprint team when needed this season.

Jenna Vincej - Sophomore, Saugus
The only thing faster than Vincej's times in the 400 was her ascent in the event. An improved work ethic led to a school-record time in the event at league finals and a CIF-SS Div. II championship, which buoyed Saugus to the first girls team title in Santa Clarita Valley history.

Ashley Welker - Sophomore, West Ranch
Welker's league-championship time in the 800 was less than three-tenths of a second off the meet record, and she advanced to the CIF-SS Masters Meet as an alternate. She was also the 800-meter leg of West Ranch's nationally competitive distance medley relay team.

Amber Wright - Senior, Saugus
On a team full of standouts, perhaps no Centurion was as vital to the CIF-SS Div. II team title as Wright. The seasoned sprinter helped score almost half of Saugus' 42 points at Cerritos College, and she won the league championship in the 200 before reaching the state meet with the 4x400 relay team.