Camas’ Efraimson fifth in Portland Track Festival 1,500

Alexa Efraimson ran a personal record in the 1,500 meters Saturday, finishing fifth among an elite field in the Portland Track Festival at Lewis and Clark College.

Efraimson, a sophomore at Camas High School, finished in 4 minutes, 16 seconds flat, bettering the 4:19.54 she ran in March at the Oregon Preview in Eugene.

Two weeks ago, she won Class 4A state titles in the 800 and the 1,600. She currently has the nation’s second-ranked high school times in each event according to results posted on Athletic.net.

Saturday’s race was won by Violah Lagat, a former Florida State standout and sister of Olympian Bernard Lagat, in a meet-record 4:09.71. Brie Felnagle, a 26-year-old Tacoma native who competed at the University of North Carolina, was second in 4:10.44.

Felnagle holds the Washington state record in the 1,600 for high school girls, a mark that Efraimson missed by less than one second at the state meet.

In other events at the Portland Track Classic, New York high school sensation Mary Cain finished 10th in the 5,000 in 15:45.00. Last week, Cain broke a 31-year-old national record for high school girls by running the 800 in 1:59.51. She also has attained the “A” standard for the World Championships in the 1,500.