Tartans track team uses balance for Prep B title
By: Justin Feil
Even Taj Pannell’s parents have a hard time believing how she contributes to the Stuart Country Day track and field team.
Pannell is a slightly built 5-foot-6½ gazelle who runs the 100 meters on occasion, long jumps but does the best in the shot put and discus.
"I think they’re pretty much shocked," said Pannell, a Tartans junior. "They were both runners. My dad was a long jumper so I guess I took that. Not many people see me as a thrower. I get a lot of shocked looks when I say that."
Pannell, however, is no stranger to breaking down stereotypes. In the winter, the Trenton resident plays basketball for the Tartans but she’s not a guard, or even a forward.
"I’m a center," she said. "I’m not even the tallest on the team."
Pannell makes up for her size on the court with a fierce passion for rebounding and defending against much taller opponents. In track and field, she’s proven she can compete with the biggest and strongest around. Pannell picked up third-place finishes in the shot put and discus to help Stuart win its fifth straight Prep B championship Thursday, just edging second-place Pennington by five points.
"We scored 95 points on the track," said Stuart head coach Robert Abdullah. "Pennington scored 105. Our field events really did the job for us. That’s where we took the lead."
The Tartans’ depth in the field events proved particularly difficult to beat. Dominique Rice was second in the shot just ahead of Pannell. In the discus, it was Sarah Goodwin who placed second just ahead of Pannell.
"My discus was good. I broke a personal record for the discus," said Pannell, who also competed in the long jump. "My shot put was OK. It wasn’t a personal record but it was very close to it."
And with a very close finish, every point carried plenty of weight. The Tartans’ Brittany Kidd was first and Hannah Wilson finished second in the high jump. Jenae Harrington won the long jump. Elizabeth Cancelosi won the hurdles. Carys Johnson won the 100 and 200 meters and was second in the 400. Nicole Huber won the mile and two-mile.
"Brittany Kidd tied school record in high jump," Abdullah said of the 4-10 make "She was over 5-feet and she hit it on way down. It was in the rain so it was pretty nice. Elizabeth Cancelosi won intermediates for her first state championship. Jenae did what always does. She’s won every time she jumped this year.
"And Nicole, there was a chance after we got rained out Tuesday, Nicole could not come. She’s the sponsor of a young lady getting confirmed. Her mom called and told me, Nicole won’t be able to come. After talking to her, I didn’t think Nicole could make it. But she convinced the priest and her father and mother to let her come, I guess. We needed her 20 points since we won by six."
It was tough for the athletes to know exactly where each team stood. But there was a sense it was close. Even after Stuart had won the Patriot Conference championship by more than 50 points, the Tartans weren’t taking anything for granted.
"It was very close," Pannell said. "We felt we were on the border. We knew it was going to be more of a difficult situation because of the weather and other teams. We knew we were confident we could pull it off.
"I know the throwing events, we were pretty fine in and the jumping events too. I didn’t get to see many of the races. The ones I did see were just a little off. But the field events were good."
At times, it seems as though the Tartan runners do get more of the attention. Stuart is well known for its success in cross country as well as track. Thursday, it was the field events that delivered the difference.
"Running is an important part," Pannell began. "Field events bring a lot of points too. I don’t think we’re overshadowed."
Certainly not on this day. Stuart chose to go for quality performances and tried not to overwork its athletes by putting them in too many events. And the Tartans tried not to think too much about what was at stake.
"I think people expect us to win," Abdullah said. "When you put that kind of pressure on yourself, you can fall short.
"We never talked about winning. We never talked about the streak. We just talked about going there and performing well. There was a little expectation after we won the conference and the way we won the conference. But we just went to do our best."
It was the second title that Pannell has been able to share. The Tartans will be favored for a third straight because they did not get a point from a senior in Thursday’s win. That made it a little tighter to repeat.
"It was different because it was so much closer this time," she said. "We had to do a lot of figuring to figure out where Pennington placed. The thrill of winning is always great. It still felt good."
Pannell’s progress has helped her feel better too about her own development. She is growing more comfortable in her role. She didn’t always think she would contribute in the weight events.
"I always wanted to do track," Pannell said. "My parents did track. I wanted to be a hurdler. That was what I started off as, but I decided pretty early hurdling wasn’t for me. I fell into the throwing section and stayed there."
She has consistently improved since her first days of taking on the weight events. Others are still adjusting to how she can compete in those events. She does just fine, though not everyone her size is so good.
"I’m the smallest competitor," she said. "There are small girls, but they’re not competition."