Lavin becomes state champion for indoor track, sets new school record at North Harford

Junior Finley Lavin ran in the state competition for track this 2021-22 indoor track season and became the state champion for the 500 meter while also setting a North Harford High School record.

     The record was previously held by alumna Cassidy Chandler with a time of 1:33 but was beaten out by Lavin’s time of 1:22 in a 500 meter race.

      Lavin says that the only reason she did track this year was to keep in shape for soccer, which is in the spring, but the “people around [her],” are one of her top motivations to run faster and get faster times.

     Running is not Lavin’s most favorite thing in the world, so she says she just does it “for the people around [her].” Lavin goes by the phrase “the faster the race the faster you’re done,” mindset which helps motivate her to get a faster time as well because she would rather get it over with “sooner rather than later.”

     Lavin says that “if you work hard it will eventually come,” and not to give up if something does not go your way but rather to keep on striving for your end goal because there are going to be obstacles in your way, this should not discourage you from doing what you want to do and accomplishing what you want to accomplish. 

     Lavin said she did not run any track meets the whole season but then she ran at regionals;  she added that she had also never run a 500 and “somehow [she] won.”   Her advice to other runners is that “things may not go your way the first time but to keep trying.”

     She has the goal to keep her title and to do the same thing again next year for her senior year and also to get a faster time because she thinks “she can get a better time,” and try to trim at least one or two seconds.

     “I am a very humble person,” Lavin says and she does not like to talk about herself, she doesn’t think that the feeling of winning and setting this record has “kicked in,” quite yet.

       Lavin was going into the meet just happy that she made it but she is “extremely surprised,” that she did win and accomplish what she did.

     Lavin has been doing cross country races since she was five years old, but started running track during her freshman year of high school.