Portsmouth's Sullivan places second in track invitational

Lone representative for PHS girls’ varsity distance team

By Kristen Ray
Posted 1/23/19

PORTSMOUTH — Portsmouth High School senior Elizabeth Sullivan led the pack for most of the one-mile race but was unable to hold on for the win at Saturday’s 2019 East Coast Track and …

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Portsmouth's Sullivan places second in track invitational

Lone representative for PHS girls’ varsity distance team

Posted

PORTSMOUTH — Portsmouth High School senior Elizabeth Sullivan led the pack for most of the one-mile race but was unable to hold on for the win at Saturday’s 2019 East Coast Track and Field Invitational at the Providence Career & Technical Academy.

As the lone representative for Portsmouth’s standout girls’ varsity distance team, Miss Sullivan had set the tone of the race early as she effortlessly ran out front from the very start. 

“My coach just told me to try my best to get into a position where I could win it going into the final lap,” she said afterward.

Though Miss Sullivan maintained that lead for the first several laps, Littleton, Mass. senior Sarah Roffman was following close behind, eventually making her move around the 2:40 mark to quicken the pace and push Miss Sullivan back to second. 

Miss Sullivan, however, was not done fighting. With a lap and a half to go, she started to kick along the back stretch, briefly reclaiming the top position from Miss Roffman. But as the bell for the final lap, Miss Roffman took off, putting an insurmountable distance between herself and the other competitors. Miss Sullivan, meanwhile, gave everything she had to try to finish right behind her.

“I was just trying to hold on for second. I knew I couldn’t catch (Roffman) in front, so I just tried to finish strong,” she said. 

Crossing the line in second with a time of 5:07.47, the Portsmouth senior fell a few seconds short of her personal best of 5:01.38 but was still proud of her effort.

“It was still a good race to be a part of,” she said.

With her first-place finish and time of 5:02.42, Miss Roffman was able to earn herself a spot in the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix Junior Girls’ Mile this Saturday, Jan. 26 at Roxbury Community College. Miss Sullivan’s teammate, senior Nikki Merrill, was also invited to compete in that meet due to having a personal record of 4:50.87.

Another Portsmouth runner, Olive Allen, will be competing in the 1,000-meter race at the Dr. Sanders Invitational at The Armory in New York City this Saturday. In addition, the girls’ 4x800-meter relay team has been invited to run at the Millrose Games, also at The Armory, on Feb. 9.

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