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Boyle County's Nikki Coffey believes this could be her year to win the Class AA regional championship. She'll compete with her teammates Saturday at Bell County. (Mike Marsee / October 29, 2012) |
Nikki Coffey’s cross country season isn’t turning out quite like she thought it would. It’s better.
Measured against the lofty expectations she had for herself and the tempered expectations she had for her team, the season has been an unqualified success for Coffey and the Boyle County girls.
And it could get better still, as both Coffey and her team figure to be in contention for regional championships next weekend.
That would be a first for Coffey, a sophomore who has made the transition from being a talented runner in a supporting role to being the front-runner, and it would be the continuation of a streak for Boyle, which has won three straight team titles in its Class AA region going into Saturday’s meet at Bell County.
Coffey is ranked first in the region, a position she cemented recently with a personal-best time at Woodford County, where she broke the 20-minute mark for the first time.
Though she is her own toughest critic, Coffey said she’s actually pleased with the way her season — and particularly her recent races — has gone.
“Yeah, I’m always hard on myself. I never think I’m doing good. But from where I was last year, I’m proud of myself,” Coffey said. “Last year I was in the 21s, and now I finally broke 20, and I’m really excited about that.”
Coffey is also excited about the possibilities for the Boyle girls, a retooled team that has progressed to the point of being able to defend its regional title despite losing three seniors who were among the team’s top five runners.
“I hate to say it, but this summer I didn’t think we would be as good a team as we are now. All the girls are basically new except three of us ... so I was nervous,” she said.
That anxiety has long since given way to excitement about what the Rebels have done and what could lie ahead for them. They have risen to as high as No. 2 in the regional rankings behind Rockcastle County, and Coffey said even though second place would be a good finish for them, they aren’t going to give up their title without a fight.
“We have faith we can beat them,” she said. “The newcomers are coming along, and now they’re doing really good and getting really competitive. And I really like that, because that’s how I am. It’s so exciting to see them compete as they are and see their times improve by so much.”
Coffey said she has a competitive streak that extends beyond the cross country course to the classroom and other areas of her life.
“I guess it’s just because I don’t like losing. I feel like if I lose I’m letting someone down, I’m letting myself down,” she said.
That hasn’t happened this season. Coffey’s results include a win Oct. 14 in the Area 6 Championships in Harrodsburg and a second-place finish in an Aug. 30 invitational at Wilmore.
She was sixth in the Woodford invitational with a time of 19:59 over 3.1 miles.
Coffey’s best time is 27 seconds better than that of Bell’s Kelly Brown, the No. 2-ranked runner in her region, and she said that’s too close for comfort.
“That’s kind of scaring me. There’s going to be a lot of girls out there, and you never know what’s going to happen. It’s whoever has the best day or whoever has the better mentality,” she said.
She said she has dreamed about winning a regional championship for years.
“I’ve been imagining this for a long time,” she said. “It means a lot to me. I hope I can have a good race.”
Measured against the lofty expectations she had for herself and the tempered expectations she had for her team, the season has been an unqualified success for Coffey and the Boyle County girls.
And it could get better still, as both Coffey and her team figure to be in contention for regional championships next weekend.
That would be a first for Coffey, a sophomore who has made the transition from being a talented runner in a supporting role to being the front-runner, and it would be the continuation of a streak for Boyle, which has won three straight team titles in its Class AA region going into Saturday’s meet at Bell County.
Coffey is ranked first in the region, a position she cemented recently with a personal-best time at Woodford County, where she broke the 20-minute mark for the first time.
Though she is her own toughest critic, Coffey said she’s actually pleased with the way her season — and particularly her recent races — has gone.
“Yeah, I’m always hard on myself. I never think I’m doing good. But from where I was last year, I’m proud of myself,” Coffey said. “Last year I was in the 21s, and now I finally broke 20, and I’m really excited about that.”
Coffey is also excited about the possibilities for the Boyle girls, a retooled team that has progressed to the point of being able to defend its regional title despite losing three seniors who were among the team’s top five runners.
“I hate to say it, but this summer I didn’t think we would be as good a team as we are now. All the girls are basically new except three of us ... so I was nervous,” she said.
That anxiety has long since given way to excitement about what the Rebels have done and what could lie ahead for them. They have risen to as high as No. 2 in the regional rankings behind Rockcastle County, and Coffey said even though second place would be a good finish for them, they aren’t going to give up their title without a fight.
“We have faith we can beat them,” she said. “The newcomers are coming along, and now they’re doing really good and getting really competitive. And I really like that, because that’s how I am. It’s so exciting to see them compete as they are and see their times improve by so much.”
Coffey said she has a competitive streak that extends beyond the cross country course to the classroom and other areas of her life.
“I guess it’s just because I don’t like losing. I feel like if I lose I’m letting someone down, I’m letting myself down,” she said.
That hasn’t happened this season. Coffey’s results include a win Oct. 14 in the Area 6 Championships in Harrodsburg and a second-place finish in an Aug. 30 invitational at Wilmore.
She was sixth in the Woodford invitational with a time of 19:59 over 3.1 miles.
Coffey’s best time is 27 seconds better than that of Bell’s Kelly Brown, the No. 2-ranked runner in her region, and she said that’s too close for comfort.
“That’s kind of scaring me. There’s going to be a lot of girls out there, and you never know what’s going to happen. It’s whoever has the best day or whoever has the better mentality,” she said.
She said she has dreamed about winning a regional championship for years.
“I’ve been imagining this for a long time,” she said. “It means a lot to me. I hope I can have a good race.”
