Century's Sophia Comfere dazzles again at section meet

LAKEVILLE It was two Thursdays ago that Sophia Comfere took a look at things and had a change of heart.

What the Century track star was looking at was her 800 time in the Big Nine Conference meet.

It was special 2:13.59.

The 5-foot-11 gazelle with those smooth, leggy strides was also taking note of her split time from earlier that day running the 4x800 relay.

It was even better 2:11.

ADVERTISEMENT Maybe this, after all, was her best race.

Maybe it wasnt the 400, where she has also been spectacular this season and last.

Those (800) times, they were a lot faster than I thought they were going to be, Comfere said.

Ive been a little bit more in tune with my distance running side of late.

Its fun getting back to that because that was what I first started out doing.

To shift back to that after doing a couple of years concentrating on the 400 feels good.

Yes, Comfere also one of the top handful of 400 runners in the state and a fifth-place finisher there last year with her 55.90 time has indeed gone for a change.

That showed up Saturday in the Section 1, Class 3A state-qualifying meet at Lakeville South, when Comfere showed her cards.

Shed run in three events the 800, the 4x400 and the 4x200.

The open 400? Shes abandoned it, opting instead for that fresh start.

Judging by her results Saturday, her logic seemed sound.

Comfere finished second to fellow star Lauren Lansing of Farmington in the 800, but still managed to set a school record, one she had coveted (it had been 2:13.13, set in 2013 by Jenny Guibert).

Comfere crossed the finish line in 2:12.48, just a fraction off of Lansings 2:12.45 time.

I am really happy that I was able to get the record, Comfere said.

That was my goal coming into the meet.

ADVERTISEMENT Comfere was just as happy with what she and her relay teammates were able to accomplish.

In the 4x200, the combination of Clara Gerhard, Emily Bunce, Kaia Berry and Comfere finished as champions and section meet record holders with their 1:41.35 time.

In the 4x200, the grouping of Berry, Emma Anderson, Bunce and Comfere were also winners and section meet record breakers.

They did that in 3:51.16.

That 4x400 relay made me the happiest, Comfere said.

As a team, we had such a good time.

That surprised me a little bit.

That meet two Thursdays ago changed everything for Comfere.

To think that she came up with the pack of times she did in that conference meet, including also tearing things up in the 4x400 (54.9 split) and 4x200, left her with something to happily contemplate.

Just how fast might she be able to go in the 800 with another couple of cracks at it? Right now I prefer the 800, said Comfere, also an honor student (4.0 GPA) who will attend school and run track next year at Division I Cornell University.

Right now the 800 is a little bit more interesting for me.

Ive got more room to improve in that than the 400.

Improving is something that Comfere has been doing every season since she joined the Century varsity as a seventh grader.

This season has seen those jumps more than any other.

Still, as well as things have gone for Comfere, it is often undetectable looking at her.

She stays the same, cool and contained, always.

Her expression never changes, Century coach Kris Allen said.

Shes never too high or never too low.

She is very OK with just going out there and doing her job.

ADVERTISEMENT Still, dont make the mistake of believing she is indifferent to all of this.

Quite the opposite.

Track has always thrilled her and never more than now.

This season, I have had more fun with track than ever, Comfere said.

Im just enjoying the moment.

Its easy to get wrapped up in it, this being my senior year.

Allen just wishes this wasnt the final season for Comfere at Century.

Allen has coached a pack of tremendous athletes at Century, many whove gone on to be college athletes and some at the Division I level.

She ranks Comfere as high as any of them.

Abigail Tri is a double champion.

The John Marshall distance running star won the 3,200 Thursday, then came out and claimed the 1,600 (5:15.36) Saturday.

That Tri pulled it off was no surprise to JMs head coach, Brandon Stanek.

Abi has been really consistent with her training and very dedicated, Stanek said.

She is someone who shows up and puts the work in.

ADVERTISEMENT Tri got her twin championships all while being under the weather.

A sore throat Thursday gave way to lots of congestion Saturday.

Still, Tri was up for the challenge.

I was worried about the (1,600), said Tri, a sophomore who is advancing to state for the first time in both the 3,200 and 1,600.

But I felt pretty smooth.

In that last lap I was just thinking about (teammate Aaliyah Ranstrom) and wanting her to also make it to state.

I couldnt see behind me.

Her worries were unfounded.

Ranstrom finished second, all right.

Both are state bound.

Jered Smiley has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to young sprinters.

Most of the Mayo coachs top ones are sophomores or below and so many of them with intriguing talent.

That includes his current best one, Josie Van Brunt.

She happens to be just a seventh grader.

On Saturday, Van Brunt was the best 100 runner in Section 1-3A, sprinting to the title in a personal record-breaking 12.23.

Van Brunt has completely turned things on and taken things to another level the past week.

In Thursdays prelims, she ran a personal-best 12.61.

Then she kicked that down some more Saturday.

Through this entire year, Ive never seen her so focused as she is now, Smiley said.

Today, it was just all grit from her.

ADVERTISEMENT These next few years, Smiley has lots to look forward to when it comes to his sprinters.

On that list is sophomore Taylor Kurtz, who figured to be Mayos top sprinter this year but tore her ACL this past fall in soccer.

Added to that list is freshman Emma Clarey who has run a 12.77 100, as well as Lyric Urban, another promising freshman.

Century sophomore Mary Amusan just missed a section title in the shot put, heaving it 40-feet-7 1/2 for second overall.

The winner was Lakeville North freshman Sahara Wilson (40-10 1/4), one of the states top basketball recruits.

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John Marshall is sending two triple jumpers to state.

Rockets sophomore Norah Miller won the event with a 37-3 clearance.

Teammate Purity Ongeri was third (35-10) but qualified by standard.

And sandwiched between them in second place was Centurys Nell Ferguson (36-11 1/4).

Miller is also state bound in the long jump, having finished second in the event Thursday.

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Century, which also got a second-place finish from Clara Gerhard in the 200 (25.50) and one from its 4x100 relay team (48.97), finished second overall as a team in the section meet.

That was the Panthers highest finish since also taking second in 2003.

Individual results.

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