Fike’s Pope sets state 3-A meet record in 3,200 win

GREENSBORO — Fike High senior Erin Pope put forth a performance for the ages to close her high school running career Monday afternoon at the NCHSAA 3-A track and field championship meet on the campus of North Carolina A&T State University.

Pope, the Golden Demons soccer star who is heading to Lenoir-Rhyne University with a scholarship in the sport, wrote a dazzling final chapter for her one-year running career by winning the 3,200-meter run in record fashion at Marcus T. Johnson Track. Pope crossed the finish line in 10 minutes, 51.45 seconds to clip the old mark of 10:51.53 set by Northwood’s Caroline Murrell in 2021.

Did Pope know she had set a meet record?

“I did not,” she assured in a telephone interview Monday evening. “I was really just going for the win, but the feeling is like, indescribably good!”

Pope also set a personal record earlier Monday when she finished third in 4:59.27 behind North Lincoln sophomore Olivia Ferraro, who broke Murrell’s meet record in that event with a time of 4:54.29 while Lake Norman’s Lily Yampolsky was second in 4:58.85.

Pope added the outdoor 3,200 state title to the indoor 3,200 crown she won in February. As expected, Pope’s competition came from First Flight sophomore Morgan Miller, who finished just ahead of Pope to win the NCHSAA 3-A cross-country championship in November. Miller, who was second to Pope in the indoor 3,200 in Winston-Salem, unexpectedly pulled out of the 1,600.

“She lined up but then she stepped off on the first lap,” said Pope.

While there was ample time between races, Miller had the slight advantage of rest for the 3,200. Pope shot out to the lead but Miller was waiting to pounce. Maybe not the best strategy for the ultra-competitive Pope.

“I led for a good portion of the race, but Morgan, in like maybe the fifth or sixth lap, she got ahead of me for 100 meters,” Pope said, “but then I passed her again and stayed in the lead for the rest of the race.”

It was a thrilling conclusion to a brief running career for Pope, who said she also loved to run during soccer training so she decided to give it a shot her senior year.

“I mean, I still ran a lot,” she said. “I just didn’t do it competitively. Like, I still love to run but I love to run competitively now.”

She said that Hunt High distance coach Rusty Boyette helped with workouts for her to follow but finding time to run with soccer and school (she’s ranked in the top 10 of her class) was always a struggle.

“Well, I had to do it in between games and stuff, but I tried to get to the track once a week if I could,” she said. “But then there were some weeks where we had like three games so I physically just couldn’t go to the track.

“I just kind of had to do what I could and just cram it in there when I could.”

Pope has no plans to run at Lenoir-Rhyne. In fact, she turned her attention immediately back to soccer with the Demons hosting Greenville Rose in the third round of the NCHSAA 3-A playoffs Tuesday. That game had to be moved because the state meet, which was originally scheduled for Saturday, was pushed to Monday because of rain. However, it worked out for Pope, who originally didn’t think she would even compete in the state meet because it conflicted with older brother Eli’s college graduation. In the end, she got to do it all, even though it came with some anxiety for the usually placid Pope.

“It was a relief when I was done,” she admitted. “My nerves have been tore up since Friday. Because of just all this stuff, and I was already nervous about it, just because it was my last race. I wanted to win, obviously, so I was nervous for this one.”

OTHER AREA COMPETITORS

Pope’s 16 points for Fike were just about all that were scored by athletes from the Times readership area Monday in Greensboro. Southern Nash junior Chris Harris was the only other scorer as he placed seventh in boys discus with a toss of 141 feet, 2 inches.

Fike senior Ja’Khyla Ruffin placed 11th in the girls discus with a toss of 99 feet while junior Jewel Brewington was 14th in girls long jump with a 15-10.5 leap.

Hunt junior Deontrae Barnes, the No. 2 seed in boys shot put, fell short of that mark Monday as he placed 12th with a 44-2.5 heave.

Southern Nash senior D.J. Pridgen placed 13th in boys 300 hurdles in 40.99 while the Ladybirds’ 4×100 tandem of Terri Richardson, Ja’hniya Riggins, Anto Diop and Chastity Battle finished 15th in 51.40.

C.B. Aycock sophomore William Seth Cowan placed 11th in shot and 15th in discus for the boys while senior Na’jay Jackson was 13th in the boys 200 and sophomore Jeremy Johnson placed 16th in 110 hurdles.

Greensboro Dudley won the girls and boys team championships behind respective Most Outstanding Performers Jalee Brown and Le’Ezra Brown.

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