Incoming freshman already making her mark in track events

With her feet set at 25 and 55 in the blocks, be on the lookout for freshman Wildcat sprinter Payson Scribner, who just qualified for the Junior Olympics in the 200 meter dash. Although, she’s ambidextrous — so it’s uncertain which foot will be first.

Scribner says she started sprinting in seventh grade. 

While she attends public school, Scribner follows a strict training regiment.

“Sprint training is a lot of band work — short bursts of energy. If I want to get in, say, a mile run, I can’t do that because it sort of un-does the training that I’ve done.” She says her coach usually tells her not to run more than 400 meters at a time. 

Her coach is Josh Harris of Cascade Kinetics.

Typically, every other day she’ll show up at the track at noon, and after a 10 minute warmup (such as 50 meters on 50 meters off) they’ll work into resisted pulls with bands, or pushing a sled on the track, and then end the day with block work.

Recently, she got the opportunity to train with Brooke Zetooney, former Whitefish track star who also trained under Harris. Zetooney now runs for the Montana Grizzlies. 

Her mom was treasurer of the summer swim league, so Scribner also swims for a cardio workout.

In June, she attended the USATF State competition in Butte, so she’s already accustomed to big meets. Needless to say, she gets really nervous. 

Placing third at Butte in both the 100 and 200 meter allowed her to advance to the Region 11 USATF Junior Olympic Championship in Pocatello. Here, she had to place in the top five to make the National cut.

“In the 200 of my regionals, they have pre-lims and finals. I had made it to finals, and I was like, OK, I didn’t qualify in the hundred, so I have to get this 200 if I want to go to nationals. And I just told myself, I have to be ready, I have to be ready.”

Scribner was successful in the 200 meter with a time of 26.10, and was headed to California last week to compete at the national level for Stumptown Track Club.

“I’m really excited — it’s been something I’ve been dreaming about since I was little, but I never thought it would be for track, I thought it would be for swim,” she said.

Currently, she’s planning on running track for both STC and high school.

 It seems the Wildcats are in for a major standout in the sprints come next spring. 

Scribner acknowledged that her plans are subject to change, but as of now she wants to attend Florida State on track scholarships, while majoring in sports medicine.