Spring track
By: Jim Green
Hopewell Valley Central High School junior Annie Carney may not have been blessed with great natural speed, but that hasn’t stopped her from becoming one of the best track athletes in the state.
Carney used her superior endurance to place first in the 3,200-meter run Saturday at the Central Jersey Group III outdoor track sectional championships, teaming with javelin-winner Meredith Rutledge to help the Lady Bulldogs finish second to state power Willingboro in the team standings. Hopewell, which last season won the Central Jersey Group II sectional title, tallied 75 points 11 behind Willingboro in its first sectional competition after moving up to Group III.
A second-place finish in CJ III is quite an accomplishment for a Lady Bulldogs team that had to overcome the loss of stars Jessica Pall, Kate Willever and Sarah Seiler to graduation from last year’s Group II championship squad.
"After losing those seniors and moving up to Group II considering that, it’s pretty amazing," Carney said. "I was proud of our team. We all tried our hardest, which is all you can ask."
Carney won the 3,200 in 11:23.36 and finished ninth in the 1,600 at 5:18.83. Although she won the sectional title in the 1,600 last season, she headed into the meet Saturday expecting another victory to be a tall order.
"It’s pretty exciting," she said. "I totally didn’t expect it. Group III is much harder than Group II. Moving up to Group III, there’s so much competition. I felt good, so I just went for it, and it turned out well."
Carney’s win qualified her for the Group III championships, which will be held Friday and Saturday in Egg Harbor. The top six finishers in each event at the section championships move on to the group meet. She will be joined by six teammates who qualified in individual events, as well as the Hopewell relay team.
Rutledge, a sophomore, won the javelin with a throw of 121-5, while sophomore Emily Sherrard placed second in the 1,600 (5:04.87) and the 800 (2:16.65). Junior Natalie Mapp was second in the 400 (57.30) and fifth in the 400 (57.30) and the 100 (12.70), and sophomore Miriam Khan was fourth in the 100 (12.69), fifth in the 200 (26.10), fourth in the 100 hurdles (16.06) and fifth in the 400 hurdles (1:07.25). Senior Allison Sheridan placed second in the discus (119-1), and sophomore Kristen Volpe qualified for the group meet with a sixth-place finish in the pole vault (8-0).
The Hopewell 4×400 relay squad of Mapp, Sherrard and sophomores Jackie Barrett and Stephanie Ferrara advanced with a second-place time of 3:59.55. On the boys side, junior Odeani McBean moved on by finishing fifth in the 200 at 22.82.
"We’ve become more of a deep team, which is a good sign," Carney said. "Meredith (Rutledge) has come our of nowhere. It’s just incredible. That’s 10 (team) points right there. That’s the equivalent of my 2-mile. That’s awesome. She’s incredibly talented."
In the 3,200, Carney got off to a strong start, opening up breathing room in the first half of the race. Despite running a slower second mile than she would have liked, she held on for the impressive win.
"I just had to go out really hard," Carney said. "I was disappointed that my second mile was slower than my first mile."
The entire field in the 3,200 seemed affected by the heat Saturday, as the top contenders finished with times slower than their seed times. It also did not help that the 3,200 is one of the last races in the competition.
"You don’t want to blame it on the heat," Carney said. "But, in general, the times seemed to be slower across the board."
Carney pulled out the championship against some of the best distance runners in the state runners she expected to have difficulty beating entering the competition.
"The other girls I raced all had really good seed times," she said. "It’s nerve-wracking. You hear all the names of the girls. They’re all great, and I hadn’t run against any of them before. But that also gives you adrenaline."
Carney’s victory came after watching most of her teammates excel in their events on Friday and Saturday.
Sherrard continued to emerge as one of the top runners in the county with her two qualifying times, and her time in the 800 set a school record.
"She was pretty amazing," Carney said. "It’s been incredible. She’s so talented. It’s awesome to have someone like that to train with, because she’s one of the hardest workers on the team. She always pushes everyone to work harder, and it’s paid off."
Sherrard’s influence has helped Carney reach new heights on the track, as well. While Carney lacks what she calls a "great kick," she has demonstrated time and again the heart and determination to be a premier distance runner.
"I just like to run for long distances and keep the same pace," she said. "I’m much better with endurance and long distances, which is why I’m not as strong in the mile.
"I just like to keep that same pace. My kick is definitely something I have to work on. That’s why it’s been nice to have Emily and Natalie and all those great sprinters as inspiration."
Heading into the Group III championships, Carney has one goal: survive and advance to the Meet of Champions, which will be held Wednesday at South Plainfield’s Jost Field.
"I’m hoping to get in the top six, so I can get into the Meet of Champions," Carney said. "We’ll see. Hopefully, it won’t be too hot, and I’ll make it through."