Two-sport star as elusive as she is fast

Steinbrenner Lauren Garris finished third in Pre-State's Invitational division but she's also a standout soccer player for the Warriors.

DADE CITY --

At some point in her athletic career, Lauren Garris knows she likely will have to make a decision between the two sporting loves of her life, soccer and distance running. But for now, she is determined to continue excelling in both — as long as her legs can hold out.

Last week, the Steinbrenner High junior turned up for soccer tryouts for a Warriors squad that she helped win a state championship last season. That required two afternoons of her busy schedule and resulted in a slight ankle injury, but she said that didn't cut into her cross country training.

Garris showed just how serious she is about her running in Saturday's Pre-State meet at Little Everglades Ranch, where she took third place in the Invitational division by turning in a season-best 5-kilometer time of 19 minutes, 30 seconds. That was just 2 seconds off her personal record and is further proof that, athletically, she is inching toward being defined first as a runner.