Madelyn Baron is making a huge impact for Pine Creek this spring and hopes to continue that success at Princeton next year. Contributed photo.
Madelyn Baron's best marks:
60 meter dash - 8.07
100 meter dash - 12.82
200 meter dash - 25.28
400 meter dash - 59.66
5K cross country - 19:59.50 (at altitude)
I am told you come from a very competitive family. Tell us a little about how deep the competitive gene goes...
My family is very competitive, but they are also my biggest cheerleaders. Both my parents and my older sister encourage me in all my endeavors. I have a special relationship with my younger sister, Heide. We both run track and often compete against each other. Neither one of us will ever make it easy for the other to win, in races or in practices. I’ll crush myself to beat her (and she will do the same to me) but after we are off the track it is all smiles and laughs. I love competing and training with Heide; we push each other to get better--not to mention she edits all my essays, thanks!
You seem to be versatile enough to do all of the sprints well. Do you have a favorite among them?
The 200 meter dash is definitely my favorite. 100s are too short to take advantage of my stride length, and the 400 and I still have a rocky relationship with pacing.
You've also done well in cross country in the fall, to include running at Nike Cross Nationals? What has cross country added to your athletic experience?
It is a little odd that I am a sprinter that runs cross country. I did cross country because I enjoy it so much and I love my distance teammates. I feel honored to have been a part of the team that went to NXN--a once in a lifetime experience. My coach, Charmas Lee--from Speed Track and Field--had to do some creative weights schedules for me to train both for sprints and run distance, but he made it work and I really appreciated that so I could continue to have fun in cross country. Plus, I would never pass up an opportunity to work with Coach Max Oliver in the fall.
If you got in at Princeton, you have to have had other options. Was it just a longtime dream to go to Princeton, or was there something in particular that happened recently that sold you on the school?
A year ago if you told me I would be going to Princeton, I would not have believed you. I decided to apply because it is one of the top universities in the nation, has the engineering program I am interested in, and the Division I track team as well. I visited back in February and I met the coaches then. Everyone I met there was welcoming and excited to be there and work hard. That environment sold me on the school. I am so excited to attend this fall!
Pick a favorite high school memory for us...
One memory I will never forget was winning the 4x100 at state last year. Rachel Cardozo was leading off, and Faith Vines was there to get us to the start line on time (she would help us win the 4x200 as well). I was the 2nd leg and after I handed off to my sister Heide all I could do was watch as she then handed off to Ally Watt who had a lot of ground to make up. I could barely watch I was so nervous! For a moment after the finish, the screen said we had gotten 2nd place, but then we realized we won! All of us ran over to the finish for a group hug. Winning a relay is a team effort, and I am so glad I could share it with my wonderful teammates.
When you step off the high school track for the last time this spring, what do you most want to know that you've accomplished?
No matter what my last meet is, I want to know that I have executed my races, done my best, and tried my hardest. I really hope the time on the clock reflects that! I also hope I have left a positive impact on everyone I met in high school.
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If you were one of the ones who hung around in the cold rain on Saturday to see the girls 4x400 at the Palmer Terror Invitational, you didn't leave with the impression that Madelyn Baron has anything like a rocky relationship with 400 meter pacing. As a matter of fact, they seem to be friends on best terms nowadays. If you missed that one--and even if you didn't--make sure you see a few of the Pine Creek sprint relays this spring. It's worth whatever extra effort it takes.
