Former three-sport athlete settles for track
(pictured above: Parkland sprinter Katlin Sherman on the move.)
There are times when less is more.
Katlin Sherman of Parkland knows all too well how this principle works. The rising senior is coming off her most spectacular season as an athlete. Much of her success is rooted in her decision to devote most of her energies to one sport.
her first two years at Parkland, Sherman was a three-sport athlete (volleyball, basketball and outdoor track). Entering her junior year, however, she opted to drop basketball and add indoor track. The move produced some remarkable results.
Sherman played a pivotal role in Parkland’s girls winning team titles at the Class 4-A indoor and outdoor state track championships. But that was just the beginning. Sherman doubled as the sprints champ in the 100 and 200 at the state outdoor championships and ran on the state champion 4×100 and 4×200 relays. A few weeks later, Sherman did her part to help the Mustangs win the 4×200 relay at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals. Individually, she earned All-America status by placing fourth in the open 200 at the NB meet (23.75 seconds).
Sherman continued her quest for excellence during the summer months as a prime performer for the Tri-City Relays Track Club in the Young Women’s 17-18 age group. At the AAU Club Nationals held last week in Orlando, Fla. Sherman placed fifth in the 100 (12.03) and ran anchor on the 4×100 relay (fourth-place, 47.22) and sprint medley relay (sixth place, 4:22.63).
The seeds for Sherman’s dominance were sown during the winter months. The training she put in for indoor track helped her to attain a peak fitness level. Sherman’s stamina was on full display when she finished third in the 300 at the state indoor championships in February. She was also a member of the Mustangs 4×400 relay that won at the state meet, but was disqualified because of a questionable race official’s call that was made after the relay was finished.
“Indoor track made all the difference,” said Coach Antwan Hughes of Parkland. “Up until this past school year, Katlin always came out in the spring for outdoor track, which meant that she only had about 10 weeks to get things done. But with her being with us for the indoor season, it gave her more time to train. When it was time for her to run her fastest times, she was more than ready.”
There were some adjustments for Sherman to make in her preparation for indoor track. Since Parkland doesn’t have ready access to an indoor track, she had to get used to training outdoors during the winter months. For her, it was a far cry from playing basketball in a warm gym. “I had to get used to that (outdoors),” she said. “But looking back, there’s no doubt that going through those cold-weather workouts was worth it.”
Sherman’s handiwork on the track hasn’t gone unnoticed by Division I college coaches. So far, she’s being recruited by Tennessee, N.C. State, Michigan State and Charlotte. With one more season of high school track remaining, Sherman is sure to get more offers during her final year of prep competition.
As for her upcoming senior season, Sherman realizes that she won’t surprise anyone. Winning brings notoriety among competitors and Sherman welcomes the challenge. “People are aware of what I’m capable of,” she said. “Even though I’ll be the one with the bulls eye on my back, that gives me more incentive to train even harder. For me to continue winning, I have to keep that attitude that it’s up to me to make it happen.”
