The running track at Plant City High isn’t always kind to Cassie Highsmith’s feet and legs. The sophomore runner will be the first to admit that it’s not her favorite surface to step on.
But, with the start she’s gotten off to in 2016, it’s hard to believe that.
Highsmith, coming off of a broken foot that cut her 2015 cross-country campaign short, only needed the first two races of the young track and field season to make school history: one to break a 7-year-old record, one to break a 7-day-old record.
Shortly after Highsmith broke the longstanding record, she topped herself by breaking her own record.
“It’s really crazy,” Highsmith says. “I’m just really happy, and I’m excited to see where the season takes me.”
Head coach Drew Martucci had high hopes for Highsmith in the fall. She was expected to turn in a strong regular season and make some noise at districts and regionals. At the start of the season, things seemed to be heading in that direction.
But it wasn’t meant to be: about a month into cross country season, Highsmith broke her foot (her second metatarsal) and her season was shut down.
Foot injuries are always tricky, and Highsmith’s was no exception. The second metatarsal bone is, essentially, smack in the middle of the foot. As such, it’s not an unusual injury for a runner to have.
Because it’s in a high-stress area of the foot, which can be affected by running surfaces and a runner’s arch support, Martucci decided to play it safe with Highsmith and see if she could make it back in time for track and field season.
“It was a struggle for her — big time,” Martucci said.
Highsmith cut it close, but she did make it.
“This being her first major injury, I thought she handled it very maturely,” Martucci said. “She came back full-throttle, she’s ready to go … She did exactly what she was told to do, and she was very smart about it. She approached it with the most maturity I’ve seen from anybody, and it’s paying off.”
The Records
Within weeks of getting cleared to run normally, Highsmith came back to the PCHS track for the season opener. It only took one race to reveal how well she had healed. In her first race of the day, the 1,600-meter (1 mile) race, she set a personal best time.
The next race, the 3,200, was when things got really good for her.
Her time of 12:40 was a full 13 seconds faster than the previous school record of 12:53, set by Christina Corzine on April 30, 2009.
“I didn’t expect it at all, honestly,” Highsmith said. “I put all of my time and effort into the one-mile, so I went into the two-mile just winging it, basically. I looked online after the meet and saw that I broke the record, and I was really excited.”
It would only last a week.
On Sunday, Feb. 21, Highsmith blew her previous 3,200 time out of the water. For the time being (or, unless she breaks it again), the new school record is 12:24. Martucci is hoping that this momentum will carry forward throughout the season, even going as far as states.
“We’re expecting some big things toward the end of the season,” he said. “Hopefully, we can get her out (of regionals) in either the one-mile or the two-mile.”
Only time will tell what happens over the rest of this track and field season, whether Highsmith can keep her hot streak going or not, and whether her foot will be able to hold up. But if these race times reveal anything, it’s that this girl’s not letting any time go to waste.
“I really would like to make it to states this year,” she said. “That’s a big goal of mine.”
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.