James Coughlin senior Shelley Black isn’t the type to worry about hype. She doesn’t feed into the frenzy of one-upsmanship.
She cares less about who beats her and more about how she finishes.
Essentially, being first isn’t what she desires most.
“I always know that anything can happen during a race and anyone can beat you,“ the 17-year-old Black said. “I kind of don’t go into any meet thinking that I’m going to get first place. So that’s how I approach each meet. Anything can happen.”
That point was clearly illustrated on Saturday at Penn State University during the PTFCA Indoor State Championships.
Because Black, who ran her best 60-meter hurdle time of the indoor season in the race that counted the most, didn’t win.
She acted as if it wasn’t a big deal, even though she ran an 8.46, which afterward would be the third best time in the nation.
She lost, against what some would call her rival, Abington’s Leah Nugent.
But that’s not even the worst part.
She lost by .01 of a second.
Photo by Patty Morgan
“It was really close,“ Black would say later of losing to Nugent, who finished in 8.45 seconds. “I think maybe I might have been a little ahead after the last hurdle -- at least my coach told me I was -- but from where I was, it was completely even and she got me right at the end.”
Neutrality is part of Black’s physical makeup that keeps her balanced. She has a steady head, a clear mind.
Black, a two-time all-state athlete scanning both last year’s indoor and outdoor seasons, isn’t the first athlete to pick up on this and hone in on this gift.
Though it’s helped her see the bigger picture.
If experience has taught Black anything, it’s that patience is key.
And no other hurdler in Pennsylvania has the same resume.
Not Lost in Translation
In January, Black received a large package in the mail.
It was a box filled with United States track gear. The most prized possession was a red, white and blue uniform.
That would come in handy, considering Black was among 11 other 16- to 19-year old athletes chosen nationally to represent the United States in an international friendly meet held at Osaka, Japan.
After deliberation, she was chosen because of her outstanding merit.
As a junior she scored the 100- and 300-meter state outdoor hurdles championships and was later honored by the PTFCA and Gatorade as their Athlete of the Year.
Her outdoor times in both events stand up nationally. She was within the top 15 in the 100s (13.79) and within the top 50 in the 300s (43.23).
Prior to states, she was District 2’s 100- and 300-hurdles champion and its triple and long jump champion too.
So she was asked to compete in the 60-meter hurdles in Osaka for obvious reasons. The international friendly also covered the long jump and 60-meter dash.
“It was very different wearing the USA uniform,“ Black said. “Everything was really unbelievable there.”
It was the first time Black represented her county athletically. But the opportunity wasn’t lost on the future Penn State University athlete.
She commented on her time in Osaka, where she spent time learning about the country and the people before her flight back on Jan. 7.
“Interacting with the people in Japan, a lot of them didn’t speak English,“ Black said, “So we’d be talking with our hands the whole time and trying to figure out what they’re saying. Everyone was nice and the team that I went with was nice.”
Ultimately, the experience allowed her to step outside her comfort zone.
And that’s one reason why she’s taken steps forward this winter season. It’s another reason why she continues to impress those around her.
It’s no wonder she didn’t become distraught after losing to Nugent in the state indoor final.
There’s a higher purpose here. Second-place wasn’t disappointing when she factored in how she got there.
Still. …that doesn’t mean she wasn’t aware of Nugent, who less than two weeks ago finally uprooted Black in the 60-meter hurdle rankings.
A two-horse show
Black’s coach, Paul McCrane, has kept his eye on Nugent all season.
No, it’s dated back further. Last year, even after Black secured two gold medals in the 100-meter and 300-meter hurdles at the PIAA Class AAA Championships, McCrane was quick to point out that Nugent wasn’t far behind.
“She’s such a good athlete,” McGrane said of Nugent while coaching Black at the Dickinson College Invitational in January. “She’s not far behind.”
At states last May, Nugent was fifth in the 100s and second in the 300s.
So sure enough, after Black led the state statistically in the 60 hurdles all winter, Nugent put one of those diamond-coated races together two weeks before the state meet and overtook Black.
She captured the PA #1 time on Feb. 18 when she ran a 8.57 at the DVG Meet of Champions. Black didn’t run the same race, but it didn’t matter. Nugent was on top.
On Saturday, each hurdler made their way through the preliminaries and semifinals without so much of a hassle. Black even improved on her PR, hitting an 8.58 in the semifinals -- though it was still .01 behind Nugent’s best.
By the time the finals were set to begin, the crowd inside the Horace Ashenfelter Track & Field Facility were on pins and needles.
Photo by Marlene Vandenneste
Not only were Nugent and Black in this race, but Plymouth Whitemarsh’s Emerald Walden was also in the mix -- and all three were ranked nationally.
When the gun went off, Nugent and Black took control. At the same time.
“I just heard the gun go off,“ Black said. “Me and Leah were right next to each other the entire race. And I just went for it.”
It was a literal stalemate, with each hurdler vying for the same end result. Black fired over the hurdles with power, while Nugent whisked over the standards with finesse.
It was impossible to figure who was leading who, although from certain vantage points it looked as if Black led Nugent after the final hurdle.
But it was Nugent, ultimately, who crossed the finish just a fiber early. Walden, the state’s third best hurdler entering Saturday, finished in third place, clocking in at 8.76.
“I expected to run well,“ said Nugent, who later clarified she was shooting for 8.3. “I knew I was ready. I just had to stay focused.”
That she has been all season.
Nugent’s progress in the event had been tremendous since the start of the winter, when she went from from the low 9s in December -- and as high as a 9.27 on Jan. 14 -- to 8.45 this past Saturday.
That’s nearly a second improvement, which could be considered an amazing turnaround by any stretch. She credits her coach, and her training habits.
“It’s just been my new hurdling training with Angelo Booker, Nugent said. “It’s just getting down to the track and sprinting. Not try to hurdle, just trying to sprint and sprint it like a 60.”
Black, though, shouldn’t be overlooked either.
She knocked off nearly a half a second from her slowest time in December (8.92) to Saturday.
“I just want to keep improving, each meet I go to,” Black said.
Nugent’s time, it was later revealed, was only .02 seconds off a decades long all-time state record that still stands today.
Though she still broke the meet record, which former Methacton star Ryann Krais broke in 2008 with a 8.54.
So, too, would have Black, if not for Nugent.
That’s one reason why this rivalry is still shaping up, with one more meet to go in the indoor season, and an entire outdoor season to pick apart.
“I definitely like running against people when there is competition because I feel like I get better and I push myself more,“ Black said. “And it’s the same with them too.”
Here’s the best part.
Two weeks from now, the pair -- plus Walden -- will presumably go at it again at the New Balance Indoor National meet, held inside The Armory Track & Field Center in New York.
So this race, undoubtedly Saturday’s most spectacular and unnerving event, and this rivalry, one of the best this winter season, should continue one more time.
The stage is set. From March 11-13, perhaps we’ll have a few more chances to see this rivalry bloom.
Though if it were up to Black, she’s just worried about her finish.
