When Steve Bettis took over as track coach at Churchill, his predecessor told him to expect a lot of eager athletes. But this spring when he assembled his team for the first time, Bettis still was surprised by the flood of prospects. The Churchill roster lists 188.
“We actually have more than that,” said Bettis. “We had to make cuts this year.”
In recent history, however, Churchill’s talent has never matched its depth. The school’s only state championship came in 1976. Whenthe Bulldog girls won the Montgomery County indoor title in January, it was the school’s first county title.
Five months later, the Churchill girls are thinking bigger. With the recent sanctions incurred by state powerhouse Eleanor Roosevelt — barring the defending champion Raiders from team competition — Churchill is among the squads that could challenge.
“I expect big things from this team,” said Bettis. “But coming into this year our goal was to win a county title.”
Going into Thursday’s county championships (weather permitting), the Churchill girls had already claimed titles this spring in the Cougar, Woodward, and Bulldog Relays and last week the Howard County Classic.
At the Howard event, sophomore Louise Hannallah won the 3200, finished second in the 800 and third in the 1600 while junior Audrey Gariepy won the 110 hurdles and placed second in the long and triple jumps.
In the relays, the Bulldogs’ depth is critical. At Howard, Hannallah combined with junior Betsey Morser and seniors Rachel Solnick and Lindsey Moloznik to win the 4 x 800.
