Notre Dame Academy sophomore Kelsey Whitaker (second from left) has proved an inspiration to her teammates. (Notre Dame Academy)
There were no hard feelings when Kelsey Whitaker bettered the 600-meter time of Ariel Kenyon, her senior teammate at Notre Dame Academy, earlier this season. And Whitaker was not upset when Molly O’Leary shattered the freshman mark in the 1,000 meters Whitaker set last season.
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“I’ve broken some people’s records and stuff like that and they are fine with it,’’ said Whitaker, a sophomore from Kingston who won the 1,000-meters at the MSTCA Elite Meet at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center last month with a personal best 3 minutes, 2.38 seconds.
“A freshman broke my record and we’re all fine. We just encourage each other to do better and we’re happy for each other.’’
The lack of a traditional caste system at Notre Dame is one major reason why coach Rick Kates has maintained the Hingham Catholic school’s dominance over the last two decades. Notre Dame has more than held its own in the Dual County League in the indoor season and won 21 straight Catholic Conference titles in cross country and outdoor track.
“A lot of underclassmen are hesitant to pass seniors,’’ said Kates, who guided Notre Dame to a DCL title last winter before finishing second in the Division 2 state meet. “Our seniors encourage them to be the best they can for themselves and the team. I think that’s awesome. I think they’re great role models.’’
“Kelsey acts like a senior. She follows right along and does everything the other team members are doing. She takes care of everyone else before herself.’’
For all that senior leadership, senior captain Corrina Lucini said Whitaker is the one who stands out in training sessions.
“Basically she pulls us in workouts,’’ Lucini said of the sophomore. “She kind of takes the lead and we all pace our times judging by her and we try to keep up with her.
“I don’t mind. She’s my friend. It’s no big deal. She helps. Kelsey works really hard. She’s one of the most dedicated people on the team. She will always improve.’’
That leadership carries over off track too, Lucini said. “I always call her for advice, as much as I’m supposed to be giving the advice as a captain,’’ she said. “She’s one of those great runners that puts a lot of effort in and a lot of people look up to her.’’
There has been no shortage of runners for Whitaker and her teammates to look up to over the years. Three of last year’s graduates are running at the collegiate level: Ellen Callahan (Colgate College), Elizabeth Arens (Bates College), and Elizabeth McManus (Lehigh University).
“They are really good to look up to,’’ Whitaker said of last year’s seniors. “They helped me learn how to race and work out. Two of them were on my relay team and helped me to race and showed me the ropes.’’
Most of Kates’ former runners continue in one form or another.
“It’s a sport for a lifetime,’’ he said. “You can run anytime when you’re an adult and lead a healthy lifestyle. A lot of them do that. I work the Boston Marathon every year and see 10 to 15 alums cross the finish line. That’s awesome.’’
This year’s senior class is not too shabby either. Besides Lucini and Kenyon, Sophia Wojtasinski has clocked a 5:22 mile.
Perhaps one reason there is no jealousy in the Notre Dame program is because everyone seems to thrive and improve together within Kates’ system.
“We start off with strength training at the beginning of the season and just a couple weeks ago we started speed training,’’ Whitaker said. “After that, everyone’s times dropped.’’
As a result, Lucini recorded her personal best mile (5:38) in last week’s DCL meet.
Whitaker broke Kenyon’s time in the 600 meters (1:41) by one second a few days before winning the 1,000 at the MSTCA Elite Meet on Jan 30. Her time, 302.28, was 9.6 seconds faster than the school sophomore record, set by Callahan.
Whitaker’s nearest opponent in that race was three seconds behind her, and she still felt like she could’ve run another 500 meters after crossing the finish line.
“I feel like I can run faster than that,’’ said Whitaker, who will get that chance Feb. 20 in the Division 2 state meet. “I’m just hoping to make it to All-States. There’s some pretty good competition in Division 2 so I don’t know if I can win, but I can try.’’
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