By Blake Chadwick
South Haven’s Avery Strickland has been in love with running ever since she started in 6th grade.
“(Avery) is very self-motivated and a team leader who is showing leadership with the younger runners,” head coach Joseph Halling said. “She is always willing to put in the extra effort during practice.”
Strickland had a great freshman year, being a pivotal part of a team that finished fourth at state despite being two points away from third place.
Now, with three other returners, the sophomore has plans to step up her leadership and win a state championship.
“I like to lead by example,” Strickland said. “All my teammates are a super hard-working group, and I want to push them to stay up with me. This works well for the whole team because it gives practice a little more competitive edge and helps us push each other.”
Strickland has her sights set on the school record despite it being 30 seconds better than her current PR. This is a goal that is lofty for some, but it is also very doable for the sophomore who finished 17th at state.
“I’d say the thing that makes me stand out as a runner is my intensity,” Strickland said. “I’m not the fastest, I have a natural ability to an extent, but without my drive to win, I wouldn’t be placing as well. I think my intensity really came into play at state. I broke my personal record by two minutes.”
