Sarah Higgens goes about her business in a very quiet way.
She doesn’t say much, especially when it comes to talking about her accomplishments as a long-distance runner.
But, my oh my, her smile speaks volumes.
And, on Saturday, the petite Center Grove High School senior ran the race of her life in capturing the individual title at the Indiana High School Athletics Association’s girls cross country state finals.
“Just being here among the state’s very best is such an honor,” she said. “But, to win it, I really never thought it would be possible. I just listened to my coach and did what he said. It’s all a mental thing out there.”
Higgens’ winning time of 18:14 outdistanced Emily Mossler of Indianapolis North Central by 10 seconds.
It was Mossler who got by Higgens to win last week’s semistate.
Temperatures in the low 70’s fit right in with Higgens championship run.
Her coach, Wes Dodson said his premier runner likes it that way. “The hot the better. She’d just as soon it be 90,” he said.
During her freshman and sophomore years, Higgens established herself among elite runners in the Hoosier state.
In the three previous state finals, Higgens placed 11th, 50th and 55th respectively in 2007, 2006, and 2005.
And, in those years, she competed with her entire team.
On Saturday, she was Center Grove’s lone competitor since the Trojans finished out-of-the running in last week’s semistate.
But, her entire team was there sporting body paint that read “Super Sarah”.
Higgens’ dedication and commitment to the tradition-rich cross country and track programs at the Greenwood (Ind.) high school has been evident with a rigid training regiment.
Over the past four years, Dodson estimates that Higgens has run an average of 50 miles a week for 50 weeks out of the year.
With a week off following the cross country and track seasons, Higgens has traversed this good earth about 2,500 miles per year.
At the end of her high school career next May, Dodson said that Higgens will have run 10,000 miles.
Or, think of it this way.
If you were vacationing, it would be similar to making a round-trip from Greenwood to Oregon.
And, on return, do an about-face and go back to Oregon again.
This season, Higgens won seven consecutive races that included a course-record victory
at the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference meet in addition to being crowned champion of Johnson County and the IHSAA sectional and regional.