MOUNT PLEASANT — Even now, two weeks before her high school graduation, LaTasha Pharr continues to live life in a hurry.

At a juncture when many of her North Rowan classmates are pausing to reflect on days passed and those ahead, Pharr shows no signs of slowing down.

“I can’t stop now,” she said during Saturday’s 2A Midwest Regional track & field championship meet. “If I did that, I’d start getting slack. And if I get slack, something bad could happen. I love to win too much to let that happen.”

She found herself in the fast lane again at Mount Pleasant High School, where she captured four events and solidified her All-American status. Pharr didn’t set the world on fire, but she easily won the triple jump (37-7), long jump (16-7), 100-meter high hurdles (14.90 seconds) and 300 intermediate hurdles (47.3) for the fourth straight year. She was one of eight Cavaliers to qualify for Friday’s state meet at UNC Charlotte.

“Just another step,” smiled Pharr, a girl-with-a-plan who plans to attend the University of Alabama on a full scholarship next fall. “Then I’ll be off to college and hopefully working toward making the Olympics.”

Don’t laugh. The starting line at the 2004 summer games in Athens is a reachable landing spot for this all-Solar System athlete.

“The Olympics — that’s very possible,” said North coach Brian Mills. “Even her college coach (Carryl Smith) has commented on that. So it’s not just her high school coach whistling Dixie.”

It’s also turned her teammates into autograph hounds.

“We always kid her about going to the Olympics and being famous some day,” said North senior Garette Hunter, a state qualifier in the shot put (35-6) and discus (100-812). “We all want her signature now because we know the day is coming. She’s got the skills. She’s got the mindset. She just needs to get there.”

That mindset kicked in when Pharr was all of eight or nine years old. While playmates were out riding bicycles, she preferred to jump rope, play hopscotch and do flips off the family’s front porch.

“She was a very active little girl,” said Johnnie Mae Hairston, Pharr’s mother. “Always doing something and usually doing it well. This was bound to happen. I’ll be very happy to see her dream come true.”

So will Mills, her longtime instructor. “LaTasha’s a very special person,” he said. “She has this inner drive to succeed. She’s never satisfied. When you get somebody that hungry, they’re an absolute pleasure to coach. This is a girl who’s worked extremely hard since she was very young. Now you’re gonna see it start to pay off.”

Make sure you read that last sentence very slow.

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North totaled 102 points and placed first in the team standings, earning its third regional title in the past four years. Salisbury (56) was third.

Other Cavs to qualify for the states included Moriah Jones, who was second in the long jump (16-0) and fourth in the 200 (26.9); Tiffany Mack, who took third in the triple jump (32-6) and fourth in the long jump (14-11); Mauria Turner, fourth in the 100 dash (12.9); and Timika Peterson, fourth in the 800 (2:33.8). In addition, the Cavs had the fastest 4 x 100 relay (51.1). Team members included Elizabeth Alexander, Turner, Mack and Jones.

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Salisbury qualified four individuals and two relays. Kari Johnson, the No. 12 seed in the shot put, placed second with a throw of 32-10. “I was pleasantly surprised,” said coach Julie Lillrose. “She’s been juggling between track and softball all season and hasn’t had a lot of time to devote to it. Still, it was her best throw of the season.”

Other Lady Hornets on the state meet program are Monique Shaver, who was third in the 200 (26.9); Stephanie Morris, fourth in the 100 hurdles (16.4); and Anna Griffis, fourth in the 1,600 in 5:50.6.

Shaver and Morris teamed with Tiffany Kennedy and Ternisha Charleston to win the 4 x 200 relay in 1:48.0. And Shaver, Kennedy, Charleston and Ashley Clark completed the 4 x 100 relay in 51.9 seconds, good enough for third place.

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In the boys competition, North (58 points) finished a disappointing third in the team standings while Salisbury (14) placed 14th.

“We came here to win it,” said Cavs’ coach Robert Steele. “But once again, it was not meant to be. The same thing happened last year.”

North was led by second-place finishers Aundray Russell (45-512 in the triple jump) and Malachi Brown (11.2 in the 100 dash). Other state qualifiers included Terry Wood in the triple jump (3rd, 44-7), Adrian Sloan in the 100 hurdles (4th, 15.4) and Jason McDowell in the 800 (4th, 2:06.4).

Two North relay teams earned trips to Charlotte. The 4 x 400 group comprised of Russell, McDowell, Wood and Ray Johnson finished third in 3:37.7 while the 4 x 200 team of Wood, Brown, Russell and Jeremiah Cauthen finished in 1:31.6 and took home a fourth-place ribbon.

Salisbury’s lone qualifier was Austin Imes in the discus. His throw of 136-6 gave him fourth place.