By Bret Strelow
bstrelow@salisburypost.com
North Rowan freshman Teaunna Cuthbertson claimed first place in her best three events and even broke a meet record in one, but she understood her team needed more.
That’s why Cuthbertson hustled around East Rowan’s track and earned an exhausting victory in the 300-meter hurdles at the county championships Tuesday. The extra effort paid off for the Cavaliers, who won the girls title by one point over rival Salisbury.
By posting four first-place finishes as a freshman, Cuthbertson matched a feat accomplished by cousin LaTasha Pharr in 1998.
Pharr was a standout at Alabama following her graduation from North, where she was an All-American. Cuthbertson has similar potential.
“She’s in that same class,” said Robert Steele, a coaching legend who stepped aside in 2004 but has returned to lead North’s girls. “I’ve been working with her since she was 8 years old, and she’s very, very talented. She’s a phenomenal athlete with a real bright future in track and field.”
Cuthbertson’s effort of 18 feet, 91/4 inches in the long jump surpassed the previous county meet record of 18-5 set by West Rowan’s Sherina Steele in 2002.
Cuthbertson already has become one of the best female long jumpers, triple jumpers and 100-meter hurdlers in county history, but her performance three days ago in the 300 hurdles stood out to her coach.
Cuthbertson didn’t enter that event last week during a conference meet in which Salisbury edged the Cavaliers by six points.
“I had talked to her about it before that meet, but in her mind she hadn’t been able to work it out yet,” Robert Steele said. “When we lost, she decided it was something she had to do for the team.
“She stepped up and did something I asked her to do even though it hurt.”
Cuthbertson finished in 50.80 seconds ó second-place Amber Hollioway of West followed next with a time of 52.01 ó and picked up 10 more points for North as it attempted to keep pace with Salisbury.
Steele might pull Cuthbertson out of the 300 hurdles and make her fourth event a relay once the postseason arrives, but the Cavaliers benefited greatly from her cameo.
“A lot of them were counting on me to help out when I did the 300 hurdles,” Cuthbertson said. “They all wanted me to run, and at first I didn’t want to do it, but I had to think about my team before myself.”
Cuthbertson’s individual excellence produced 40 of North’s 163 points. She won the 100 hurdles with a time of 14.76 seconds ó Pharr is the only female athlete in county history with a better result ó and secured first in the triple jump with a mark of 36-71/2.
Cuthbertson said she performed best in the 100 hurdles. Salisbury’s Melaney Ramos was the runner-up with a time of 15.36 seconds.
“It’s something I look forward to, and it was good because I had real good competition,” Cuthbertson said. “I just had to go out there and do what I do best, and that’s work hard.”
Pharr set county meet records in both hurdling events as a freshman, but her marks that year in the long jump (17-51/4) and triple jump (36-33/4) were not superior to Cuthbertson’s.
Pharr set the all-time county record of 41-73/4 in the triple jump as a sophomore. She was a junior when she established the current standards of 13.31 (100 hurdles) and 44.05 (300 hurdles).
In the long jump, only Salisbury’s Lisa Staton (19-11/2 in 1978), Pharr (19-1 in 2000), East’s Cammie Sifford (18-113/4in 1984) and West’s Steele (18-101/2 in 2003) have beaten Cuthbertson’s distance from Tuesday.
Cuthbertson was voted the sprints MVP, and she shared field MVP honors with Salisbury’s Alisha Bradshaw. Contributions from North teammates Yasarian Bush, Corbin Bennett, Tatiana Banks, Abril Ellis, Jalesa Stalling, Akevia Charleston, Dirika Mitchell, Shaquille Bagley, Tenesha Dickerson, Sabrina Vann and Laijia Robinson made a post-meet victory lap possible.”It was a great day for North Rowan track and field,” Robert Steele said. “These young ladies love their school, and they represented it very well.”