Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 14, 1994 TAG: 9404140315
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By RALPH BERRIER, JR. STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
Those youths are moving fast.
The Bobcat girls are off to their best start in five years, having won each of their first five track and field meets. Leading the way is a talented group of underclassmen that still has its best days ahead, although it's difficult to imagine how these girls can perform any better than they already have.
Junior sprinter Shayla Evans and sophomore teammate Nikki Holloway have combined to win nine out of 10 races in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes so far.
Evans and Holloway have teamed with sophomores Crystal Hubbard and Emily Jebo to form a 4-x-100-meter relay team that is unbeaten in five races. Jebo is also a good sprinter and Hubbard is a rising star in the high jump.
Junior distance runner Sarah Argabrite can win at 800, 1,600 and 3,200 meters. For the most part, she has been running, and winning, at 800 and 1,600 meters.
Freshman Charlee Taylor, already a top 400 runner, can run relays and fling a discus with the best of them even though she's an elfin 5-foot-4 .
It's a group that harkens back to 1987, when Tracie Housel and Millicent Shabazz, who would lead Radford to the 1989 Group AA state championship, were sophomores.
"This is about as good a group of young talent as I've seen since then," said Tony DeHart, Radford's girls' track and field coach.
Call them the Bobkittens.
DeHart got his first look at these athletes a couple of years ago when he had them in his physical education classes at Dalton Intermediate School. Even then he could tell that this group had a ton of potential.
"Just judging from the fitness tests I knew they had speed," said DeHart. "It was unusual to have that many girls that were that good."
The Bobcat girls should benefit from Radford's move to the Group A classification next year, although teams like Giles and Floyd County are as strong as many of the Group AA teams Radford faces this year. Of course, Radford has already beaten both Giles and Floyd this season.
In a four-way meet at Giles this week, Radford's 400 relay team finished ahead of a highly-touted Giles squad. Against Floyd, Evans and Holloway finished behind Buffalo superstar Monica Lucas in the 100, but Holloway pulled off an upset by beating Lucas to the finish line in the 200.
Evans has posted the Bobcats' fastest times in the 100 and 200, but Holloway is as steady as a spring shower. The friendly competition between the two has helped both runners improve their times.
"She does her best, and I try to do my best," said Holloway.
The future appears bright for the Bobcats, even the not-too-distant future. Radford will leave the New River District after this year, but not before making great strides on the league's top contenders. The Bobcats are getting good performances from seniors Jadean Curtis, who is faring well in the hurdles and jumping events while still recovering from knee surgery; Katie Castelberry in the 3,200; Stacy Nelson in the shot put; and Jackie Donovan in the middle distance events.
Still, the Bobcats probably do not have the depth to keep up with a team brimming with talent like Christiansburg, but a second-place NRD finish would be a good way to go out.
"It's kind of sad not to be able to be in a district against Blacksburg and Christiansburg," said Jebo. "By the time we're seniors, I think we could keep up with them."
Of course, competing against schools of similar size in Group A has its bright side.
"It would be nice to win a state championship one day," said Jebo.
"If there's one thing I've learned in coaching, it's never predict the future," said DeHart.
Coach, you don't have to predict the future. It's already there on your team.
by CNB