Caroline Turner , Needham High School
"From the very first time I met Caroline at our preseason meeting for cross country, I knew she would be a special member of our team. From her tough-as-nails attitude on the course, to the kindness and compassion she shows her teammates, she is the complete package. She will be greatly missed at Needham but I know that her endlessly positive attitude and hard work will serve her well in everything she pursues."
Coach Van Cott - Needham High School
What do you enjoy doing outside of your running?
I enjoy reading, sleeping and eating! I love going out for ice cream and watching movies with my team. I also enjoy hiking and teaching my corgi new tricks!
What are you going to miss most about your high school running career?
I am going to miss coming to practice every day and hanging out with my teammates and coaches. I will miss our rainy runs and the camaraderie of facing tough workouts together. I will miss the pure joy of finishing a long run alongside them and I will miss the constant jokes and laughter.
What was your most memorable race?
My most memorable race was our team's tri-meet against Newton North and Walpole. Going in we knew that Newton North would be our final and most difficult challenge for the Bay State Conference League Title. Both teams were going in undefeated and with very strong athletes. It was a perfect day for racing, and when the gun went off it was clear it was going to be a long race where every person was going to grit it out and grind the whole way. A lead pack of several girls from each team jostled for position. Each girl was clinging on for dear life and the pace kept ratcheting up, sending a girl at a time off the back end. In the last mile and a half it was me and Newton North's lead runner. We threw in surges alternatively, each falling off a little but working our way back. We both wanted it and knew what rested on the results of this meet. In the end I finally pulled away and was able to win the meet. As I turned around and screamed for my teammates the spectators, coaches, and finishing athletes began to see how close the meet was. With everyone frantically counting places it became unclear who had won the meet. But when the places were officially counted, it was us, 28-29. Every single place had mattered, and our team had pulled through. We went on to finish the dual meet season undefeated.
Out of all your high school running accomplishments, what stands out the most?
My senior year I co-captained our cross country team to the best year that NHS cross country has ever had. I tried to communicate daily with all 18 girls to make sure that everyone was healthy and happy. Our team became so close that we used the term "super bonded" to describe ourselves. We talked together every day about our goals and our plans to achieve them and I think that the close-knit atmosphere that my co-captain and I created gave way to our success and great friendships.
What was the most difficult obstacle you had to overcome?
Early on in my high school career, the team atmosphere was very competitive on the girls side. It was hard to come to practice and endure comments about my training, my races, and my weight. These comments drove me to create a better environment for success, especially when I was a captain.
Do you have any advice for younger runners?
Diligently completing the summer training gives you a base for cross country, allowing you to gain strength and cardiovascular endurance. It also gives you a mental edge because when you are on the line you can look at your competitors and think: there's no way they trained as hard as me.
If you were to change anything about your high school running career.....what would you change?
I wish I had ran 8 seconds faster in the state meet this year. We came only several points away from winning as a team and while this marks a great improvement from past years, it is still a little heartbreaking to think about. Those 8 seconds are the difference between a state championship and third place.
What are your college plans?
I am going to Davidson College in North Carolina and competing in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track. I plan on studying political science and history.
Who would you like to say thank you to?
I would like to say thank you to my coaches for having the patience to deal with my constant texts of baby animals and whatever neurosis I may or may not have. I would like to thank my dad for kicking me out the door to go run when I felt like lying on the couch with ice cream.