McDonough Star Is Well Rested And Now on Track

Even with last Saturday's Southern Maryland Mega Meet looming, McDonough's Christen Griffin slept soundly the previous night. One of the biggest changes in the track and field star's development is that her nerves no longer keep her lying wide awake on nights before a meet.

"That used to happen to me when I first started, when I was younger, but not anymore," Griffin said. "Not in a long time."

For Griffin, 17, sleepless nights and nervous jitters are largely in the past. What remains is a motivated and confident runner who, at 5 feet 9, has used her long legs to stride almost effortlessly and establish herself as one of Maryland's premier hurdlers. Griffin's talents were on display last weekend at the Prince George's Sports and Learning Complex, where she turned in two top-five performances, placing second in the 55-meter hurdles in 8.58 seconds and fourth in the 300 in 42.78 seconds.

The meet included 22 schools, mainly from Maryland's Southern Maryland Athletic Conference and Virginia's Northern Region, and Griffin was the top Maryland performer in both events in which she competed.

Despite Griffin's success at the early-season meet -- her time in the 55 hurdles was faster than what she ran to win the SMAC and 3A/2A East Region titles last season -- she was not entirely pleased, saying they let her know "how much harder I need to work." A team captain, Griffin sees every event as part of accomplishing one goal. Before her high school career is finished, the senior hopes to break the state record for the 300 hurdles.

Griffin came close to doing just that in a breakout season a year ago. At last year's 2A outdoor state meet, she won the 100 and 300 hurdles while leading McDonough to a second-place team finish. Her time of 44.11 seconds in the 300 was a little more than half a second slower than the 2A mark set by Central's Indira Hamilton in 1989.

"I'm motivated because I know there are lots of people out there trying to work hard, trying to beat me," Griffin said. "And at the same time, I'm shooting for the state record. I know if I can stay injury-free I can get it."

The all-state athlete received a scare in the fall. After rocketing through last outdoor season and then launching straight into the Junior Olympics over the summer, Griffin took no time off before cross-country in September. The lack of rest, combined with running long distances on uneven surfaces, finally caught up with her and caused Griffin to be sidelined with a hip injury.

Former McDonough coach DiDi Huber sees Griffin's tireless work ethic as a testament to the runner's commitment to and love for the sport.

Griffin "was always the go-to girl, and you could always count on her to put in a top-notch effort," said Huber, who coached the Rams for two years before leaving the program to spend more time with her children. "She wants to be the very best she can be, and she knows she must do what it takes to get there."