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.”