GALION — Galion High School junior Kerrigan Myers has been quite busy lately, and the official high school track season in Ohio hasn’t even started.
It all started for Myers at the state indoor track championships when she won the high jump with an effort of 5-feet, 4-inches. She also garnered runner-up honors in the 60-meter hurdles, finishing her race in a time of 8.79 seconds.
But, that would be far from the end of Myers’ indoor track season.
This weekend, she is in New York City, at the Armory, for the 2019 New Balance Nationals Indoor at the New Balance Track and Field Center to match talents with other high schoolers around the nation in the 60-meter hurdles.
This is the 21st indoor nationals since the National Scholastic Athletics Foundation (NASF) started its own meet in 1999 and the 9th with the partnership from New Balance. Typically, the meet includes more than 3,500 of the country’s best track and field student-athletes from across this country and Canada. All are looking to make their marks running, hurdling, jumping, throwing and walking their way in 48 events.
Myers punched her ticket to New York during a meet in Akron.
“In order to qualify for the New Balance Nationals, I had to run a time of 9.04 or better,” she said. “I ended up running an 8.91 at the Akron meet and I instantly knew I was going to New York the second I saw my time on the board.”
As for the plan at the NBN, Myers keeps it short and sweet.
“At Nationals, I’m really just looking for another personal record. I have set a new PR every single meet this season, so I’m hoping I can do it again.”
An indoor state title and a trip to New York for nationals doesn’t just happen though. Myers attributes her accomplishments to the work put in during the offseason.
“I have lifted hard in the weight room all winter, as well as constantly pushing myself to my limits while running through the hallways for practice,” she said. “Every other Wednesday over the course of the indoor season, I went to Tiffin to get some high jump in, as well as hurdles.
“Every meet, I go through my warm up, and then my day goes on from there. The average day of training for me is really just lifting in the weight room for about an hour, and then going out to run. Every day of lifting is different. Galion football coach Matt Dick puts our lifting workouts on the board each day and I think that he does a great job of choosing what we lift each day.”
After this weekend, it will be on to the outdoor season for Myers, who will have a new high jump coach this season in Colby Bright.
“I don’t think it will be different with a “new” coach,” Myers said. “Coach Bright is going to coach me in high jump this year, but he has coached me in long jump as well, so it won’t be that different other than he’ll be coaching me in high jump instead of long jump. Coach (Mike) Moore is also going to be helping me as much as he can during the outdoor season. He told me that if I ever wanted/needed extra coaching on the weekends, all I have to do is text him and he’ll be at the stadium to help me.”
Kerrigan is goal-driven headed into the new Galion track season. She is hoping to qualify for the OHSAA state meet in all four of the events that she participates in. And she wants a spot on the podium at Ohio State’s Jesse Owens Stadium.
For this outdoor season, Myers is looking to clear 5-feet, 6-inches in the high jump and hopes to keep her 100-meter hurdles times in the 13-second range.
“I would really like to thank all of my coaches,” she said. “I wouldn’t be where I am at right now if it wasn’t for them. I’d also like to thank Coach Foy from Colonel Crawford. I’ve had the pleasure of him helping me at every meet.”
