Preps

Back-to-back despite back

PINELLAS RUNNER OF THE YEAR: Kerry Allen earns her second straight Times county top runner honor after fighting off a stress fracture in her back.

By JAMAL THALJI
Published December 22, 2004

ST. PETERSBURG - She wore a back brace.

Think about that when considering all St. Petersburg's Kerry Allen, the 2004 Times Pinellas County Girls runner of the year, accomplished this year.

This was the same runner who missed six months with a stress fracture in her back that cost her track season. This was the same runner who had to wear a back brace for four months. Who couldn't fit most of her clothes over the brace. Who couldn't do anything physical save walk.

"It was definitely tough," Allen said. "I just couldn't really do much. Except for pool workouts. I don't know how effective those were.

"I couldn't wear normal clothes. I had to wear T-shirts and stuff. Besides running, I couldn't play soccer or do anything really active with my friends."

She changed doctors, the second of whom suggested a regimen that got her running again: strengthening her core muscles so she wouldn't have to rely on the injured part of her back anymore. It was a change the junior agreed with.

"I liked that I was being more proactive," she said, "(rather) than sitting back and waiting for it to heal."

The offseason is as important to cross country as any other sport. The "base" miles spent in June and July add up to wins in October and November. Despite her workouts, Allen could not log any offseason miles.

So what could she accomplish in the regular season?

Just about everything she wanted to.

She repeated as Largo Invitational champ. She won the large school race at the flrunners.com Invitational. She won the Viking Invitational. She won the Pinellas County Athletic Conference title - again.

She won a district championship. She won the region title, too. Heck, she dominated both races.

Then at the Class 4A state meet, Allen finished sixth, the best finish in Pinellas County. Her time of 18 minutes, 34 seconds in that race was the county's best time of the season - by 46 seconds.

All those races she won this year, she did for the third time. Which is why this is her second honor as the Times runner of the year.

"I just think that it took a lot of determination on her part to have to work her way back from an injury that severe," coach Robb Townsend said, "and she pretty much stay focused the whole time on regaining her strength and her speed, on working her way back to what she had been before.

"It was never a question of how hard she was going to work. It was just how much time was she going to have to make up for what was missed."

She may have been the county's best from start to finish, but Allen figures she fell a bit short of her goals. She was sixth at state as a freshman, second last year. Yet despite the injury, layoff and recovery, she was only 25 seconds off her best 2003 time.

Which is why the work isn't over for Allen.

If it ever will be.

"I wanted to be a lot faster than that and that's kind of why the last two races of the season were pretty disappointing," she said. "But I'm going to start back up again and get a good base under my belt and have a really good track season."

RUNNER OF THE YEAR: Kerry Allen, Jr., St. Petersburg.

COACH OF THE YEAR: Darryl Southard, Palm Harbor U. The Hurricanes won their first Pinellas County Athletic Conference championship after nine seasons as the longtime bridesmaids finally overcame Largo and Seminole, beating the Packers by 12 points. Depth came through again for the 'Canes in the district race, as the team claimed the runner-up spot by eight over Gaither.

KERRY ALLEN, JR., St. Petersburg: Simply the best. The county's dominant runner and district and region champion was sixth at the Class 4A state meet with the county's best time (18:34).

ALI CRABB, So., Lakewood: One of the county's young stars was PCAC runner-up, district title and 19th place at the 3A meet with a time one second off her best (19:32).

KRISTIN FOX, So., Largo: Solid No. 2 runner helped the Packers secure PCAC runner finish 13th at the state 3A meet, giving retiring coach Mike Beck a proper sendoff.

MELISSA KOTCHMAN, Jr., Indian Rocks Chr.: Hip bursitis slowed the two-time county runner of the year, but she still ran the county's second-best time (19:20).

ALEX LECHNER, Jr., Clearwater: The state qualifier ran a season-best 19:48 at the Tri-City meet, was fourth at PCAC and won the Dunedin Invitational.

KALEY MATTHEWS, Sr., Largo: The Packers' No. 1 was runner-up at the district to lead to a team title there and 10th at region to take second there.

PAVENDEEP BIRK, Shorecrest.

LINDSEY BROOKS, Boca Ciega.

JANELLE HEWEL, Indian Rocks Christian.

KATHLEEN HUNTER, Clearwater Central Catholic.

MARY MAGEE, Seminole.

HEATHER NICOLOSI, Seminole.

ELIZABETH WELLS, Admiral Farragut.

Clearwater Central Catholic - Elizabeth Carey, Danielle Harris. Indian Rocks Christian - Brittany Kotchman, Amanda Montzka, Courtney St. Louis. Keswick Christian - Janelle Devaul, Breanna Giesy, Julia Hartland, Kelly Matthews, Amanda Miller. Largo - Sara Bass, Layla Hall, Angela Jewett, Amanda Mills, Maritza Najarian. Palm Harbor U. - Laura Levin, Beth McCubbin, Jackie Sullivan, Sara Wilkerson. Seminole - Fatimah Ebadi, Alysha Salapack, Samantha Weeks. St. Petersburg Catholic - Laima Bobelis, Jennifer Travis. Shorecrest - Emma Boston, Casey Evans, Erin McClenathan, Samantha Specht.

[Last modified December 22, 2004, 00:32:14]