Battlefield senior Nicole Carter is so much more than one of the top distance runners in the state.
The future Army Cadet also plays the role of captain, team mom and another coach on the track, according to Bobcat teammates and coaches. Not the chattiest of girls, Carter let’s her work ethic, demeanor and actions do the talking, said cross country coach Mallory Trowbridge.
“She is by far one of the best kids I have ever worked with,” said Trowbridge, who has coached Carter the last two years. “Her work ethic is far above everyone else, and she’s a strong leader by example.”
A longtime soccer player, Carter made the switch to cross country the fall of her freshman year and has never looked back. Her reasons for sticking with running had just as much to do with her attitude as it did with her athletic skills.
She was the best runner on the team as a freshman, but fit right in from the start.
“Even though I wasn’t nearly as fast as her, she treated me the same as anyone else,” said teammate and fellow senior Hannah Schwennesen. “When we would go on long runs with her to get faster, she’d let me do it without complaining.”
Schwennesen said the team has great chemistry, thanks in large part, to Carter’s inclusive actions. As a sophomore, Carter purchased purple and black ribbons from Michaels for her teammates to decorate and put in their hair. Now it’s commonplace to see the words BHS or runner’s initials bobbing around the cross country course or on the track.
“She is by far one of the best kids I have ever worked with,” said Trowbridge, who has coached Carter the last two years. “Her work ethic is far above everyone else, and she’s a strong leader by example.”[/pullquote]
The team also recently started a mentor program in which the upperclassmen adopt “little sisters.” A perfect example of Carter’s team-first attitude came when Schwennesen’s litte sister – Becca Howe – arrived on campus last year.
Howell was one of the first girls to challenge Carter during the track season. Instead of feeling pressured, Carter embraced the challenge from Howe, said Schwennesen.
That team- first philosophy carried over in cross country as well, where the Bobcats have qualified for the Group AAA state meet as a team the last two seasons.
“She established this attitude of 'Let’s be the best, we can do it,'” Schwennesen said. “She has that Battlefield pride.”
“I love running with the girls,” Carter said. “We are always building each other up. You don’t always get that with every sport.”
Carter’s goal this spring is to run around 10:50 in the 3,200-meter run – a time she thinks will be necessary to make all-state honors. Last weekend, she ran an 11:12.62 to win the 3,200 at the Running Store City-County Championship at Patriot High School in Nokesville.
Her time was good enough to qualify for the Group AAA state meet on May 31-June 1 in Newport News. Last year, she finished 14th in the state meet with an 11:22, 24 seconds behind eighth-place finisher Natalie Young of Forest Park.
The top eight finishers in each event earn all-state honors.
Carter said she’s happy with her progress so far this spring despite discovering a potential cartilage injury in her left knee this week. Regardless of how she fares the rest of her senior season, Trowbridge sees Carter blossoming into an excellent cross country runner in college thanks to her unique ability to pace herself.
She finished 13th in the 2012 Group AAA state meet last fall – good enough for all-state honors – after placing 31st as a junior.
“What makes her so phenomenal is her mental strength,” Trowbridge said. “She has the physical capacity and remains focused through the entire race. …That is a hard skill to teach, that strength and thought process to maintain a certain pace to get a certain time.”
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