Moorhead pestered Strebeck into blossoming career
By Rich Fisher, Sports Editor
Stefan Moorhead enjoys rooting for other South Brunswick High athletic teams besides his own, but the Vikings’ winter track & field coach does admit to some ulterior motives.
"I’m there to support the team, but I’m also trying to get some track athletes," Moorhead said with a laugh. "In the fall, I try to watch some soccer, do a little recruiting. It doesn’t always work, but I’ve had some success."
Exhibit A: Lauryn Strebeck.
In life before high school, Strebeck was strictly soccer.
Since arriving at SBHS, however, she has become reincarnated as half soccer player/half track & field athlete. And while that sounds like a bad 1960’s horror film, in this case it’s all good.
Since expanding her horizons, the junior has become quite formidable on the track, having added to her events list each campaign. Last year, she was Top-Four in the Greater Middlesex Conference winter and spring meets in both the triple jump and hurdles.
"I just thought I’d use track as a way to stay in shape for soccer," Strebeck said. "But I just really got into it. I’m looking at colleges now and I wouldn’t mind doing soccer or track in college. I’d even do both."
Such is the life of those talented athletes, once they find other callings. Fortunately for Strebeck, Moorhead saw it in her immediately.
"Track was never on her radar," the coach said. "She was strictly a soccer player. I had her in class, I knew she was on the freshman soccer team . I saw right away, she was quick to the ball, a really good athlete.
"I talked to her about track. Actually, I begged her a couple of times to give it a shot, and she finally said yes."
Strebeck wouldn’t go as far to say Moorhead begged, but she admitted he was persistent.
"I just thought it would be really hard," she said. "But finally, I said I’d do it and I went to the meeting. I hardly knew that many people there."
Since then track teammate Melissa Dardani has become one of her best friends, and she has become one of the Vikings top athletes.
In the winter of Strebeck’s freshman year, Moorhead started simple with some sprints. Last year, he elevated her to triple jump, hurdles and long jump.
"She’s just a phenomenal athlete," the coach said. "We just want to put our best athletes in the most challenging events to try and maximize their ability."
And while athletic ability can overcome a lot of late growing pains for those who start late in track, there is still something to be said for hard work.
"Having that natural ability and athleticism helps when talking about a controlled jump or hurdle," Moorhead said. "But complicated events are different. Lauryn’s a hard worker, she will take the extra time putting in more reps to perfect her jumping. It’s not just pure talent."
During the winter season, which opened this past Saturday with Strebeck taking a third at the Merli Invitational in Toms River, she will showcase all her abilities as she is likely do the 400 meters, 55 hurdles, triple jump and 4×400. She might even run the 200 every so often.
"I definitely want to improve my time for the hurdles," she said. "The 400 is not my best event. I find it hard, but I want to improve in that because not that many girls run the 400 on my team. In the triple jump I want to get more distance. It’s my junior year, I just really want to do my best."
Strebeck is fueled by some near-misses from last spring. In the Central Jersey Group IV meet, she just missed qualifying for the state meet in both the triple jump and 100 hurdles.
"I was really disappointed in myself," she said. "I knew if I just did a little bit better I could have gone. Since I didn’t, my season was over. It was disappointing, and I want to get past that point this year in both winter and spring."
This winter, she will go after everything full force, and not use it as a warm-up for the spring season.
"I don’t think of winter as any less than spring," Strebeck said. "I still try as hard as I can, I go into each season the same way, even though I’m still getting into the swing of things because of soccer. If I don’t do something well in the winter, I’ll work on it in the spring."
Over the summer, Strebeck split her time between track and soccer, another indication that each sport holds equal importance. In fact, she gave up club soccer after her freshman year to concentrate on track.
"I think she enjoys it," Moorhead said. "It interests her for college. She’s one of our better athletes and she’s also a strong presence at practice, leading drills and workouts, things like that."
Score one for the soccer player.
And just as important, score one for the soccer fan who found her.