Athlete Spotlight: Paige Johnston Amanda Lineberry Jan 27, 2009

   Last indoor track and field season did not end on the note that Midlothian senior, Paige Johnston (pictured right by Ted Plunkett), had wanted to. After winning the 1000 at VHSL AAA State Indoor championships her sophomore year, Johnston came in second her junior year to Tasia Potasinski of Westfield by less than a second after being seeded first by over seven seconds.

   This season, Johnston has made a strong return and has nothing short of dominated the 1000m race in Virginia. She currently holds the #1 time in Virginia in the 1000m at 2:54.84 and the 1600m at 4:59.59 (not including Blacksburg’s Joanna Stevens’ converted one-mile performance, 4:59.27). She looks to reclaim her state title in the 1000m run this season and has trained with dedication paired with a new sense of humility.

   “I would love to reclaim my title in the 1000m and end my last high school state meet on a good note,” said Johnston, “but I just need to keep working hard and know that anyone can step up on any certain day. Getting second last year put everything into perspective and made me really appreciate my title sophomore year even more.”

Athlete Spotlight: Melanie Rice Amanda Lineberry Jan 25, 2009

A little less than 2 years ago, Melanie Rice (pictured left by Tom Hoerner) ran her first ever 3200m race at the Judy Thomas Invitational as a freshman at Marion High School, finishing with a time of 14:20.27. It’s hard to believe that the same girl ran the #1 3200m time in the state of Virginia this past weekend at Liberty University’s Indoor Invitational, smiling the entire 11:01.58. In fact, if you had told Rice after that first 3200m run that she would be the #1 two-miler in the state her junior year, she wouldn't have believed you herself.

Athlete Spotlight: Andre McLean Amanda Lineberry Jan 06, 2009

   Take a second and picture your normal cross country race.

   Imagine the sound of the gun echoing in your ears as you take those first strides. Your family and friends stand on the sidelines cheering as hundreds of footsteps rumble around you. The crisp, fall air rushes against your face and cools your quickly inhaling lungs. Coaches and parents scream splits at you and the other runners around you as you pass each mile marker and teammates continue to cheer you on. As you reach the spectator-free areas of the course, you start to focus more on how tired your body feels, the soft breathing of the runners around you, their feet crunching the colorful leaves that have recently fallen on the trails you now tread on.

   Now take away the gun. Take away the cheering, the rumbling, the screaming, the breathing, and the crunching. What do you have left?

   The average cross country race of L.C. Bird junior, Andre McLean (pictured right by Linda D'Amato). Read more...

Athlete Spotlight: Barbara Strehler (Trinity) Amanda Lineberry Nov 16, 2008

A smile is not the normal expression worn on the faces of those running a 5000 meter race, especially when there's less than a mile to go and the view of the course is dominated by a steep, heartbreaking hill. Yet a genuine smile was what filled the face of Trinity senior, Barbara Strehler, as she charged up the hill of the USATF Virginia Association Championships at Pole Green Park this past Saturday.