High expectations: Myers deals with pressure after a stellar first season

View larger image Handley's Britani Myers wins the girls race at a meet at Skyline on Oct. 21. The sophomore will try to win her second straight Northwestern District title today at the Kernstown Battlefield in Winchester. Dennis Grundman/Daily file View larger image Handley's Britani Myers runs during the girls race on Oct. 21 at Skyline. Myers won the race. Dennis Grundman/Daily file

By Tommy Keeler Jr. -- tkeeler@nvdaily.com

WINCHESTER -- Britani Myers skipped along the sidewalk after a practice with the youthful exuberance of a typical teenager.

There was no sign of any pressure that comes with success early in a high school career. As she laughed and smiled with her cross country teammates, there was no sign of a slow start to her season that left her frustrated at times.

The Handley sophomore has had an eventful couple of years, but she has already learned how to handle it all like a veteran.

"Britani [Myers] had an excellent freshman season, and you're happy to see someone do so well," Handley coach Emily Putt said. "But it's kind of worrisome because there's so much to live up to as a sophomore, but she's handled it very well."

Myers began running in middle school, following in the footsteps of her parents. Her mother ran cross country, and her father ran track at James Wood.

Myers has been a standout in cross country ever since she started running in eighth grade at Signal Knob Middle School. That was when Putt first heard about Myers, who broke the Apple Blossom "Blooming Mile" record in the 13- and 14-year-old category.

"I was coming to cheer on some of my middle school runners that I know from Daniel Morgan Middle School, and I had heard that someone had broken the record by 20 or 30 seconds," Putt said. "That was the only time I had heard of her before she came to Handley. I was like, 'Wow, I can't believe that someone had run that time,' and that's who it was."

After middle school, Myers said she and her family moved to Winchester so she could attend Handley and have a better chance to run in college.

"It was a big difference because Strasburg's district is really small," Myers said. "And then coming to Handley and having the double-A factor was just really scary, because there was a lot more people and a lot more talent."

Myers admitted going to a new school where she didn't know anyone was difficult at first.

"In the beginning it's tough, but after you meet people it's better," she said. "There's a lot more people to choose from at a bigger school, and you can definitely find really good friends. The girls from cross country definitely took me in and helped me out."

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Myers made an immediate impact on the cross country team last year. She quickly became the Judges' top runner, and in her first big meet Myers made everyone in the area take notice.

Myers won the Judges Classic, and said it was the highlight of her season because it was her first big meet.

She followed that up by winning the Northwestern District meet in a career-best time of 18:56.

"It definitely was a big confidence boost," Myers said. "There's a lot of good girls in our district, and I was just really surprised at how well I did."

One of the keys to Myers' success is her ability to close out a race. Putt said Myers is a fighter, and she knows if Myers can stay with the top group, she's going to have a good chance to come out on top.

Myers said she enjoys the challenges that cross country brings.

"It's like a mental game, basically," Myers said. "You have to outsmart other people, and it's really fun.

"Cross country is long and it's like, 'Oh, when am I going to finish?' You definitely can't think about how hard it is. You just have to block that out and just concentrate on what's happening now and not where the finish is. You have to know when to push and when not to push, and how to take the hills."

Myers followed up her district title with a second-place finish in the Region II meet. She then went to her first Group AA state meet and admits she was nervous, but Myers still placed a respectable 10th with a time of 19:02.

"I just remember looking across the line and seeing all those girls that were really good because obviously they made it out of regions," Myers said. "I was scared to death. Once the gun went off all the nerves left, and I just started running."

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Myers followed her stellar cross country season with a fourth-place finish in the 1,000-meter run at the Group AA indoor state track meet.

It appeared as if her outdoor track season might be even better. Myers put up impressive times throughout the spring.

She then had an amazing Northwestern District meet, winning titles in three events. Myers was excited about her possibilities for regionals and states.

Unfortunately for Myers, she strained her hip flexor during the meet, ending her promising season.

"It was almost heartbreaking because she had won three district titles, and then walked off the track and said something doesn't feel right," Putt said. "Then the next day it was over."

Despite the setback, Myers took it all in stride.

"All my plans for states and regionals kind of got crushed," Myers said. "I had a good districts, so I wasn't really that worried about it because I was only a freshman and I had three more years."

Myers was out for six weeks and said the toughest part was not doing something she loved so much.

Once she was able to get back into running, she worked hard at getting back in shape and put in a lot of miles in anticipation of the cross country season.

Myers knew she had a lot of promise for the year and was excited about it, but when the season began she faced more adversity.

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Myers suffered several more nagging injuries at the start of the season due to over-running, and didn't run in a race until the Judges Classic on Sept. 11. She also has missed time due to a bout with the flu.

"It was tough because I just came off that big injury and these little injuries kept me off a few days," Myers said. "It was just like all over again a few days that you can't run. It was just rough. It was just not a good season starter, but I didn't let that put me back. I kept running my hardest."

When she ran in the Judges Classic, she was a little behind where she wanted to be and finished fourth in a time of 19:53. It was a reminder of how much work she still had in front of her.

"She had a shocked look on her face the first time she was racing," Putt said. "She was shocked because she had forgotten what it was like.

"She's had a lot of things to deal with this year. It's definitely been a good learning experience for her. It shows her she's going to have to work hard if she wants to achieve her goals, and not everything is going to come as easy as it did her freshman year."

Since her debut in the Judges Classic, Myers has worked hard on getting her times back down, and she is once again making runners and coaches throughout the area take notice.

Myers will have a chance to win another district title today at the Northwestern District meet on Handley's course at Kernstown Battlefield. She said her main goal is to help her team make it to regionals.

The Judges are currently ranked 11th in the state by milestat.com. Myers is ranked ninth individually in Group AA by milestat.com. However, Myers said she's more focused on helping the team.

"Our goal is to try to make it to states this year, and I'm really going to try to help them to get that goal," Myers said.

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She's only been running for a few years, but Myers has already learned a lot and has a maturity about her beyond her years. She's learned how to handle her nerves, something that could be useful if she makes it back to the state meet this year. She's also moved into the role of leader on the team.

"Now I have freshman girls that are coming to me and asking for advice, I know that I was just like that last year," Myers said. "I find myself not freaking out as much now because I'm used to it. Last year I was a wreck, but this year I find myself calming down the freshmen who are freaking out, and I'm really helping them through meets."

Putt said that her pupils at Daniel Morgan look up to Myers, and that she's a good role model for all runners.

"She definitely, for this community right now, is a great leadership idol as far as what kids want to be and what they pursue to be," Putt said.

Any leader or role model has to deal with big expectations. Myers has shown that she's back in top form, and with it comes the burden of knowing people are expecting her to repeat last year's success. Already a veteran as a sophomore, Myers is trying to keep her goals simple.

"I just want to make it to states again and just try to do my best at each stage -- districts, regions, states -- and just see how far I can get this year," Myers said. "I definitely feel pressure. I think a lot of people are expecting me to be really good. I'm trying not to let them down, and I hope they can see that I'm trying."