MHS sophomore reaches Group III meet in four events
By: Justin Feil
Last spring, Casey Hartnett didn’t advance in any of her individual events, but was happy enough to make the Group III state meet with the Montgomery High girls’ 4×400 relay.
"I was really excited about that," Hartnett recalled. "It was pretty cool. I was the only freshman, so that was exciting."
It’s only taken Hartnett one year to find something even more exciting. The sophomore became the first Cougar girl to qualify in four individual events for the Group III meet that will be held at Egg Harbor High today and Saturday. Hartnett was a top-six finisher in all four of her events at the North 2, Group III meet last weekend. She was third in the triple jump, fifth in the 200-meter dash, and sixth in the 100 and the long jump.
"I didn’t think I’d make it in all four," Hartnett said. "I thought maybe two. I was surprised. I thought I had the best chance in the triple jump and long jump; I didn’t think I’d make it in the 100 and the 200. I hadn’t been doing that well in (the 200). I’d been running 27s. That was one of the first times I’ve had a 26."
Hartnett’s 200 time of 26.15 seconds, her 12.77-second 100 and her triple jump of 33-feet-4¼ were all personal bests. Her triple jump increased her own school record that she’s raised all season.
"She owns the school record and she’s also a 16-foot long jumper," said MHS girls’ coach Jim Goodfriend. "She’s been more consistent in the sprints, but she’s good at all of them."
Hartnett is so versatile that she would have been one of the better 400 runners as well, but using her there would cost the Cougars points in the long jump. Hartnett was part of the MHS team that wrapped up its first undefeated season ever and, consequently, its first Skyland Conference Raritan Division championship with a 100-40 win over Delaware Valley on Tuesday.
"I’ve never won the conference before," said Goodfriend, whose coached the Cougars for 15 years. "Voorhees won the last three or four in a row. And if it’s not Voorhees, it was Somerville. One year, I lost the conference on the mile relay.
"It’s the best year I’ve ever had. It’s the best team I’ve ever had. Maybe I’ve had a couple individuals who were better. But I’ve never been as deep with as good of individuals as we have in every event."
Hartnett is just one example of the rapidly improving MHS girls’ track and field team. She’s come far since last year. Last fall, she joined the cross country team for the first time though she’s more comfortable sprinting.
"I went out for cross country and it was terrible," she laughed. "But it made me realize I could do things I didn’t think I could. I am more serious about (track and field). I got more endurance out of it. I think it helped me."
"She just matured and she’s stronger than she was last year," Goodfriend added. "She ran cross country. All those things contributed this year. Freshmen are just skinny things. She’s physically and mentally more mature than last year. She’s totally my most improved kid."
Hartnett also ran in the winter track and field season for the second year, but there was nothing to indicate that she’d have this good a spring.
"My times weren’t good at all," she said. "I don’t t know what happened. I just always wanted to do better. I kept working at it."
It’s paid off as she’ll advance to the Group III meet in four events in just her second season of track and field. A former soccer, basketball and lacrosse player, she gave track and field a try at Montgomery Middle School and has never gone back to her former athletic endeavors. This season has started to show just how good she can be.
"I’ve been really happy with the year," she said. "I’ve done well with a lot of things."
Hartnett’s favorite event goes purely on what she’s done best at recently. The triple jump is a current favorite after her school-record jump last Saturday.
Now she’s hoping to do well enough in her events to advance to her first Meet of Champions. It could be tough against the state’s best Group III athletes, including those from Packet-area schools West Windsor-Plainsboro North and Princeton High, whose girls and boys teams will compete in Egg Harbor as well. The WW-P South teams will compete in the Group IV meet at Egg Harbor.
Among PHS girls, for example, Hartnett will go head-to-head with the Little Tigers’ Alison Crowley, who set her own school record of 35-6 to win her third consecutive sectionals title last weekend. Crowley has experience in making the Meet of Champions as well.
"I don’t think I’ll make it at all," Hartnett said. "I just wanted to do so well in the spring, I didn’t expect this at all.
"Last year, everything (at the Group III meet) seemed new. I was kind of in awe of it. I just want to do well in my events, but I don’t think I’ll move on."
After recording personal bests in three of her four events at the sectionals, another improvement on her marks this week will give her a chance. Both she and Goodfriend believe her best chances lie in the long jump and the 200.
"I think I’m getting better and better," Hartnett said. "I’ve only been long jumping for a month and a half. And in the 200, I feel I can go a little faster. It always seems like I go out a little slow because I’m afraid I’m going to run out of gas. So I feel like I have a little left."
Just the experience of being at the Group III state meet again is sure to help Hartnett as she looks to continue to improve. In her case, it’s as much keeping up with the Cougars as it is improving for herself.
"I’ve been a little surprised," Hartnett said. "I knew we were good, but not this good. Everyone worked out hard in the summer. When we came back, everyone was running the best they’ve run. I think we’ll get even better.
"I think we’re just going to keep getting better ever year. I went to a middle school meet and they’re really good. They have some girls who run miles as fast as girls in high school. I know we’re going to be even better next year. And if the team is getting better, I have to get better with the team. I’ll try to do that."
After jumping from qualifying in one team event to four individual events for the Group III meet, Casey Hartnett has shown just how far she can go in one year. For the MHS girls’ track and the sophomore, it’s pretty exciting.