Mar 21, 2011

Sarah Baxter - Freshman @ Simi Valley High School (Simi Valley, CA)

The Simi Valley High School cross country team has a tradition. Before the start of the fall season, each athlete writes down their goals in two columns: one for the season and one for their career. So when freshman Sarah Baxter turned in her slip of paper to coach Roger Evans, he was surprised to see only two things listed: “Mt. SAC champion and state champion.”

(File photo by Margot Kelly/CalRunners.com)

“So I asked her, you know, Sarah what is this I'm looking at? Are these your career goals? Where are your season goals? And she said, 'No, coach, I'm going to do that this year!’ And sure enough she did!"

Baxter had unprecedented success in her high school debut season, winning the prestigious Mt. SAC three mile race in 16:41. That was over 20 seconds better than senior national-level stars like Molly Grabill and Alli Billmeyer... or any other girl out of the 99 races at Mt. SAC. She capped off her 2010 cross country season with more of the same with a state championship and the fastest time (by 18 seconds no less) out of any division.

After the cross country season, the freshman admitted to feeling worn down from the season. Along with her coach and her family, they decided to let her recharge the batteries and shut down--opting out of competing in any of the post-season meets where she no doubt would have been among the nation's best.

So with six weeks of R&R she returned to training in mid January. With outdoor season now kicking up in California, Coach Evans has been pleased with how well she's dusted off the cob webs and already returned to about the level she was at in early November.

This week Baxter had a sweet little double. At the Great Oak Distance Invitational she won the 1600 in 4:58.10 (US #4) and followed that up with a national leading time of 10:37.44 in the 3200, bettering her previous best of 10:43.49 from two weeks prior. Coach Evans says his stud freshman continues to impress him.

“I was very pleased with her performance. Every time she runs she surprises me.”

It might be that confidence and demeanor that has Baxter poised to do great things. After sharing a recent write-up in the paper with her about some of the top runners in the state who were attending the meet and their times. Evans explained that the competition would be tough out there, but the freshman wasn’t fazed.

“She looked at me and said 'Coach, I'm never going to lose a race! If I'm in a race then I'm going to win it.' And she did! That is just the attitude she has and she doesn't know anything different than to expect to win every time out."

Baxter who was a youth national champion will have to have that courage in one of the toughest states in the country. Though undefeated thus far in her high school career, that will certainly be a difficult precedent to maintain with three more years still remaining.

But so far she remains perfect. But Coach Evans knows well that in the distance running hotbed of SoCal, you are tested each and every week. He says a key to her success lies within a unique combination of physical and mental.

"She just has a remarkable cardio-vascular system. I've only had a few athletes in my career with that kind of cardio-vascular system. It's just a natural talent, but for some of those other athletes it has almost been a curse. They are so naturally gifted that they know they can slack off and be good. In their egos they just were satisfied with being a good runner. They never really had the drive to be great.”

His freshman phenom is a different breed though. Baxter, who he says is the type of runner “who never complains, is extremely coachable, is willing to anything you ask of her, and if she’s hurting you won’t hear about it," doesn't know mediocre. She strives for nothing less than to be the very best on whatever stage she finds herself, speaking in a definitive tone of "I will" rather than "I hope". Evans says this is only the beginning for his phenom.

“Most of the conversation around Sarah has been about the 3200, but she was asking me about how fast I thought she could do in the 1600 and I realistically think she can break 4:50 this year. But her ultimate goal... she says she is going to be the Olympic champion.”

Sarah's Athlete Profile...

Maddie Morrow - Junior @ Hoover High School (North Canton, OH)

As if it were encoded into her DNA, it was all but certain that Maddie Morrow would become a great high jumper. Her father was a high jumper and her two oldest siblings were stars in the event at Hoover High School in North Canton, Ohio who went on to compete on the college level. So it’s no wonder that when Maddie was just twelve years old she was already winning national championships. In 2006, she set an AAU Junior Olympic record for the midget age group with a jump of 5-4.25. Morrow’s coach at Hoover, Jason Kirkland, is grateful for her contributions to the team but also how that success rubs off on the other girls.

“She is just a great role model for the younger girls. If you want to aspire to be like someone in high jump she is definitely the person to look up to and on our team she is just a great role model for the girls. We have a couple younger girls who are doing high jump and she’s just done a wonderful job being their mentor.”

Coming off a second place finish at New Balance Indoor Nationals, with a jump of 5-9, Coach Kirkland said the two of them knew she had more in the tank. Morrow cleared a personal best 5-11 to capture the Ohio State Track and Field Indoor Championships. Kirkland says his star jumper was elated after the win.

“After jumping 5-11 she was just ecstatic and just thrilled. She knew Taylor is an outstanding jumper and she’s gone 5-11 many times before that. She knew it was still possible Taylor could tie or jump 6-0, but when it was all over she was just incredibly happy”

The Taylor he is referring to is University of Florida signee Taylor Burke, who defeated Morrow at New Balance Indoors as well as the previous indoor and outdoor state meets. Despite the back and forth battles, Kirkland says that the junior has to put that behind her and focus on the task at hand.

“You start to become aware of it even though you try and put that behind you, but it’s still there. She’s been jumping for three years now and Taylor is always right there. It’s not just the Taylor Burke competition it’s competition from everyone. We know anyone is capable of it so we just try and not to focus on Taylor and the past and focus and that meet and what’s to come.”

Described as having a strict work ethic and a laid back personality, Maddie Morrow also knows what it takes to be a team player. A weekly workout consists of one or two nights a week with her personal trainer, Mike Caza, a former Olympic jumper from Canada, as well as workouts with Kirklandland focusing on strength and core training, footwork, and curves, along with some jumping. He says she’s at a point in her career, “where they are well past the basics.”

Coach Kirkland is amazed when he goes to meets at that fact that either Burke or Morrow can go 5-10 on a given day and one could lose. He says with those two motivating each other to be at the top of their game it wouldn’t surprise him if they both went over six feet during the outdoor season.

Maddie's Athlete Profile...

Sarah Baxter - Freshman @ Simi Valley High School (Simi Valley, CA)