Photo by Brandon Miles
Katherine Walker of Brooke Point has proved to other female distance runners that you do not have to be running phenominal times out of the gate as an underclassmen to become of the state's elite athletes as a high school senior. Walker had modest times as a junior last year of 5:23 in the 1600, 11:22 in the 3200 3200, and 19:57 in the 5K while qualifying for her first state meet in the spring in the 3200 meter run with a 13th place finish at Todd Stadium. There was little indication of the huge jump which Walker would make in the following year.
A new and vastly improved runner emerged in the fall as Walker was running consistently in the 18 minute range for 5K, pulled out an upset win at the Northwest Region Championships, and nearly claimed a state title as a first-time qualifier at Great Meadow falling to second in the final stretch of the Group AAA race. After two strong races and lifetime bests in back to back weekends with a 4:59 ...