HIGH SCHOOL JOURNALISM: A promising Star

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By Hannah Andreae, Starmont senior

STRAWBERRY POINT — It all began the day Starmont sophomore Sarah McMurtry decided to try cross country.

Little did she know she would become a major part of Starmont cross country.

McMurtry had one goal this season — to beat the school record and make it to state.

Mission accomplished.

Kendra Nolan, a 2013 graduate of Starmont, held the record with a time of 15 minutes, 24 seconds for a 4K race. McMurtry knew once Nolan graduated, she would not have McMurtry to push her during practices and meets.

McMurtry had to practice harder, stay calm and take the initiative.

McMurtry will never forget Oct. 1.

As she crossed the finish line, she glanced at her watch and could not believe what she saw. Her watch showed she had broke the school record. But while a watch is a great running tool, it's not always 100 percent accurate. She was ecstatic, but knew she needed the official time to beat the record.

McMurtry broke the record with a time of 15 minutes, 1 second.'I was happy,' McMurtry said after getting the official time. 'It was nice to know that I wasn't going to get compared to Kendra anymore, and knew that I could do it.'

Although McMurtry broke the record, her teammates and coaches encouraged her not to get too comfortable. She needed to keep working hard to make it to state and break her own record before the season ended.

McMurtry's new goal was to make it to state and get a top 10 finish. Not only does she have personal goals, she also has goals for her team this year and the for years to come.

'I really want to go to state as a team and prove that a school as small as ours can make it,' McMurtry said. 'Also I hope future teams keep getting better and better as they have been over the years.'

Many think cross country is a physical sport, but in all honesty, it is more of a mental sport. McMurtry gets extremely nervous, afraid that something bad is going to happen in the middle of the race and she's not going to be able to finish — or won't finish well.

A race is a lot to prepare for and can produce a lot of stress.

'It's a mental sport, if you don't think you can do it than you probably can't,' McMurtry said when asked about advice for future runners. 'You have to be ready to work hard.'

As one of McMurtry cross country teammates, I am very proud of her and my other teammates. I agree with her advice and goals for future teams. I am bummed this was my senior year, but foresee many talented teams and individuals in the future.

McMurtry is deserving of this record. She has worked hard to get where she is today.