Nystrom picks up points for MHS girls’ track
By: Justin Feil
Christine Nystrom wasn’t exactly turning cartwheels when she was asked to run three events against Somerville last Thursday. She likes to run, and she prefers the longer distances, but running on and off again that much has few advantages.
"It gives me a little extra pressure, so I don’t think about the races as much," she said. "When I finish (one race) I try to get ready to go again. I don’t even take off my spikes. I would normally have enough time to, and sit and relax and think about my next race a little."
However, with the Montgomery High girls’ track and field team in need of the points, Nystrom put aside her normal routine and agreed to put her legs to the test against Somerville.
"I asked her how she felt," recalled MHS head coach Jim Goodfriend. "And she said, ‘Tired.’ She said, ‘I’ll run it, but I’m tired.’ She gives her best. She’s a good runner and she’s going to beat lots of people. She’s a gem."
Nystrom polished off those tired but valuable legs to win the two-mile race in 12 minutes, 33 seconds for her third win of the meet. She also captured the 800 meters in 2:34 and the mile in 5:48 to help the Cougars to a 77½-62½ win in their first dual meet of the season. It also was their first win over Somerville in nine years, according to Goodfriend.
Saturday, Nystrom was back in another three events at the Huskie Relays in Matawan. There, she helped the distance medley place fourth by running the mile, completed an 800 for the sixth-place sprint medley and also ran in the 4×800 as the Cougars finished third out of 27 schools overall for their best finish ever.
Christine Nystrom is the Princeton Packet Athlete of the Week.
Nystrom had to do her usual two events in MHS’ loss to Voorhees on Tuesday, but she’ll do whatever it takes to help the team as she proved against Somerville.
"Running three events isn’t that exciting," said the Montgomery High senior. "And it’s not that enjoyable. I felt like I was going to die. But Goody told me I had to run the two-mile for us to win. That’s normally by best race, but it wasn’t that day.
"They were all decent times for now. In the mile and two-mile, I was really far ahead. The 800 was the middle (race), which made it harder. The girl from Somerville was only two or three seconds behind me. The other two were like being out for a little jog."
They weren’t a bad start for Nystrom, who’s still working herself back into peak conditioning after a long year.
"I took some time off after winter," she said. "I basically hadn’t taken much time off since last spring. I did a lot over the summer. And there’s not much time between the Meet of Champions (for cross country) and the winter. With the weather, it was impossible to train a lot. And then we had our senior trip to Florida, and I ran a little bit, but it was difficult to run there. I came back in all-right shape, but I had to race myself back into shape.
"It’s hard for me to judge where I am right now. Everything I’ve been running has been in the rain. I’ve basically been running to get points."
That team-oriented motivation is just what Goodfriend has come to expect from one of the best runners in school history. She can cement her place among the top track performers at MHS this season. She’s within range of both the two-mile and mile school records.
"She’s picking up from what she did in the winter and from what she did in cross country," Goodfriend said. "She’s a super kid. She always gives you whatever she has. She’s the best cross country kid I’ve ever had. And she’s a good distance runner. She’s a kid who works hard in practice and she’s really self-motivated. But she’ll run whatever you tell her to."
Nystrom is determined to succeed at whatever she’s asked to run, whether it’s one, two or three events.
"The whole time I’m doing it, I’m thinking that I’m getting points for the team," she said. "It’s hard to go from the mile to the 800 and then think that the next race is farther than everything I’ve done today."
Nystrom would like the chance to see what she can do with some rest. And with strong competition from the likes of Voorhees, she’ll have her chance at the school records before leaving to compete for The College of New Jersey next year.
"I’m hoping I can get some races in where I can actually judge how well I’m running," she said. "I’ll be able to tell more when we run at conferences and counties. Last year, I ended kind of in a slump and I’m hoping that doesn’t happen. I want to go out on a high note."
With a triple win in Montgomery’s first dual meet, Christine Nystrom is already off to a great start to her senior season of track and field.

