YOUNGSTOWN — Elisabeth Gray wasn’t even in high school when she got into the starting blocks at the state final last year. But like she did before every race, she blocks out those around her.
While it didn’t end the way she had hoped, Gray took the bus ride home knowing there were more opportunities to chase when she returned for her freshman season. Better yet, while she’s facing the competition from across the state, she’s also competing against herself.
The extra push to prove herself against the field with her speed is what turned her into an emerging star in Section VI sprinting as an eighth-grader at Lewiston-Porter last season. While she also competes as the anchor for the Lancers’ 4×100 and 4×400 relays, Gray made a name for herself individually in the 100- and 200-meter dashes.
In the 100, Gray placed fourth at the state qualifier but her season-best time of 12.69 seconds sent her to states, where she placed 16th. Gray then finished second at the state qualifier in the 200 at 25.63 and finished 12th in the state.
Gray placed sixth overall in both events at the state qualifier as a seventh-grader two years ago, after spending the season trying to get comfortable and determining if she liked track or not. The jump between her first year and second year towards the top of the state came in Gray’s shift from seeing what events she was good at to having solid selections, which are now firmly in place.
“My goal for the season is just to keep working on my time and getting that down,” Gray said. “… The competition’s always been great, so, just seeing how well I can do and my time, I always just want to get my time down, honestly. Winning matters, but I think I’m more happy with myself if I get a better time than I did before.”
Since she started sprinting two years ago, Gray’s time improved. Two years ago, all six of her finishes in the 100 were over 13 seconds, with the slowest being a 13.56 at the Section VI Class A championships.
But since running a 13.43 at last year’s West Seneca West Early Bird Classic, Gray’s times have sharply decreased, running under 13 seconds in each of her last eight , including a career-best of 12.6 in the season-opener against Kenmore East on April 9.
The 200 is where Gray feels more comfortable as she can increase her speed towards the end of the event towards the final stretch better. After posting times 27 seconds or greater in her first seven attempts, Gray has finished in 26.5 or below eight times and shaved off over two seconds from her first state qualifier (27.97) to last year.
And, having the experience against older competition in the state qualifier and state tournament were valuable learning curves for Gray, going into this season. Gray was the youngest in the qualifier and the 200 states field and one of only two sprinters in the 100 states field.
Watching the veterans gave Gray a visual example of how to improve in the block starts, an area she has tried to replicate this season. This is part of her regimen, which includes maintaining her A-skips and B-skips regimen to focus on form.
“I think the block starts almost to see if you win the race or don’t win the race,” Gray said. “Having a good block start is really key because starting out fast, you get a good block start, you get a lead on your opponents and see if you can keep that lead and keep going through it.”
With two-plus seasons of outdoor track under her belt on top of playing soccer year-round to further enhance her endurance, Gray’s biggest growth in her jump is her confidence. After having the taste of what it takes to compete at states, Gray now has specific times she is chasing, including 12.4 or 12.5 in the 100 and a 25.6 again or below in the 200.
Gray isn’t afraid to take constructive criticism but she’s taken this one step further this season. From having someone record her block starts to find where to improve or interacting with opposing coaches, Gray is absorbing everything she can to progress through the season.
“She has it in her mind that she wants to do her best,” Lew-Port head coach Ann Marie Oliverio said. “And, if she feels like that she’s not in the beginning, she didn’t have a good block start, she’ll do whatever it takes to make up for it. She’s good like that.”