Sadie Engelhardt repeats as The Star's Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year
Sadie Engelhardt is stacking chips.
As in state championships.
The runner has reached the midpoint of her Ventura High career and she already has four CIF State championships on her resume.
The sophomore superstar added historic double state titles this spring, becoming the first runner in 48 years to win CIF State championships in both the girls 1,600 and 800 meters.
It had been so long since the feat had been achieved that it had never been done in the current format.
When Kathy Costello of Pleasant Hill performed the double in 1975, it came at their previous imperial distances — the mile and 880 yards.
“That was definitely the goal coming into today,” Engelhardt told The Star after the state meet. “All the positive mental talk I was doing got me in the right mindset.”
Engelhardt added those two titles to the Division 2 individual cross country titles she won in the fall and the 1,600 she won on the track as a freshman.
Last week she was named California's Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year by Gatorade for the second straight year after earning Gatorade's state honor for cross country last fall. Now, Engelhardt is The Star's Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive season.
“Being able to come back this year and know what to expect week to week in some of the same venues and having had raced against some of the same girls, I think that paid dividends for her,” Ventura head track coach Kory Anderson said. “The things that were unknown last year for her and us, I think this year were more known. … She had clear goals.”
Engelhardt surprised herself by setting the state meet record in the 1,600 in 4:33.45.
“I thought, ‘This can’t be right,’ ” Engelhardt said. “Because I felt so good.”
That had been a rarity for Engelhardt during a sophomore season plagued by illnesses.
She appeared to grow stronger in June, finishing her sophomore year by breaking the meet record in winning the mile in 4:38.96 at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals in Philadelphia on June 17. She also won the mile in 4:38.65 at New Balance Indoor Nationals in Boston on March 12.
“I feel a lot better now physically,” Engelhardt said before winning the outdoor title in Philadelphia. “I feel like all the training as shown more in races. I’m getting a little bit more in confidence.”
The final week of the season included some distractions. Two years into her high school career, collegiate coaches could finally contact her officially on June 15.
She entered the new stage of her career with both excitement and trepidation.
“I’m kind of looking forward to deciding where I’m going to go to college and talking to coaches,” Engelhardt said. “Although a lot of people are telling me that it’s just going to be crazy with coaches calling nonstop.”
The 16-year-old, of course, prefers texting to a phone call.
“I’m more of text and I’m good,” Engelhardt said. “So I’m a little nervous.”
Although it’s probably too early in the process to label it a top 5, Engelhardt was especially looking forward to hearing from Oregon, Stanford, Colorado, North Carolina State and Virginia.
For the record, powerhouse Oregon was the first to call on the morning of June 15.
The Star's All-County Girls Track and Field Second Team
100 - Paige Porter, Calabasas
200 - Maddy Easter, Buena
400 - Zoe Ray, Calabasas
800 - Arielle McKenzie, Calabasas
1,600 - Grace Geyer, Oaks Christian
3,200 - Ailish Hawkins, Newbury Park
100 hurdles - Abigail Pace, Newbury Park
300 hurdles - Samantha Starling, Agoura
High jump - Madison Thai, Thousand Oaks
Shot put - Natalie Estrella, Oxnard
Discus - Laynie Tuimaualuga, Camarillo
Long jump - Savannah Sprinkle, Buena
Triple jump - Hayden Linville, Thousand Oaks
Pole vault - Taylor Dominguez, Thousand Oaks
Joe Curley is a staff writer for The Star. He can be reached at joe.curley@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcspreps on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Engelhardt is The Star's Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year
