Camp Hill's Zoe Matherne was the District 3-A silver medalist in cross country last fall, so it is no surprise that she is putting up impressive times in the distance races for the Lions' track and field team.
Matherne's main race this year is the 1600-meter. Her best time is 5:15.65 from the Small School Invitational at Northern on April 3. Her slowest time this spring was a 5:23.62, which placed her third at the Shippensburg Invitational. But considering that she was feeling sick and that her best time last year was 5:33.13, that was still a solid time.
The Camp Hill senior, who is going to Holy Cross next year, has an 11:58.72 in the 3200, and a 2:23.01 in the 800.
The following interview took place during the Shippensburg Invitational.
What do you enjoy about running distances?
I love the team atmosphere, being in shape and being fit. I was never much of a soccer or field hockey player, but I wanted to be in a sport, so this was it.
Can you remember your first meet?
I wrote my college admissions paper on this. It was at Boiling Springs. I ran in the 400 and 800. It was cold and windy. I won my first race. I remember walking away and realizing this is for me. I like winning and this is what I'm good at.
How do you feel about your times so far this spring?
My 1600 time has dropped exponentially. My 800 hasn't dropped, but that's to be expected we running the 1600 primarily.
What are your goals for the rest of the year?
Just to stay healthy. Not get injured and not get sick. Other than those two things, it's hard to pick a goal.
What has it been like running your career without a home track?
I like our track, for what it's worth. You run on it in sneakers, and it's terrible and the ground moves, then you put spikes one and run on a real track, and your time will drop by five seconds. Not having home meets is an inconvience, but a minor one. Trinity and East Pennsboro are just five or 10 minutes away.