Tessa Barrett is the best high school female distance runner in the nation.
An achievement so difficult to achieve, yet so simply stated.
Seizing the moment at the midway point of the Foot Locker National Championship meet in San Diego, Calif., the Abington Heights senior ran away from the pack of regional champions and qualifiers and sprinted to victory.
About five meters from crossing the finish line, the future Penn State runner lifted her arms, breaking the tape for the 5,000 meters (3.1 miles) in 17 minutes, 15.4 seconds to earn the high school girls National Championship on a sun-soaked Saturday on the west coast.
"This is really surreal," Barrett said. "This is the best moment (of my career) by far. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined being a national champion.
"It's just an incredible, incredible feeling."
Already the PIAA Class AAA champion and the Foot Locker Northeast Regional champion, Barrett chose to use her endurance, but more importantly her speed, to overtake the lead group of fellow champions at roughly the first mile-and-a-half mark.
"I wanted to make sure that the first mile I was comfortable," Barrett said. "I felt good and thought that at a mile-and-a-half this was a good point to pick up the pace and see where everybody would go and who would go with me.
"I got out and then got one more challenge later in the race, and that was important to push me even more."
Once ahead, no runner could catch the fleet-footed Barrett.
With the fast pace and 70-degree temperatures wearing on the competitors, her turnover increased and her determination carried her into a steep hill in the final 800 meters. When Barrett reached the crest and Hanna DeBalsiof Westport, Conn., who battled her at the Northeast Regional race, tried to close, she turned into a sprinter.
Picking up speed down the hill, Barrett cruised to the finish, beating DeBalsi by almost 10 seconds.
"I kind of forgot about that hill, but I said to myself that it's not as tough as the hill of the Hershey course, so I just swept up into it," Barrett said. "Then I picked up the pace and felt very strong. You just try to keep pushing because you never know what strategy the other runners used and who may becoming up on you."
Nobody came up on her and the victory capped a remarkable cross country career filled with peaks and valleys that included adversity and success.
Last season, a leg fracture during the District 2 Class AAA cross country meet prevented her from earning a coveted gold medal during a record-breaking year.
After earning championships and shattering records through the indoor and outdoor track and field seasons, she carried her momentum and motivation into this fall. Barrett built on her incredible legacy by breaking course records during each regular-season cluster meet in the Lackawanna League, in capturing the District 2 Class AAA race and in winning the PIAA championship.
She qualified for the national race by winning the Northeast Regional in 17:32.3.
"This is indescribable," Barrett said. "I never thought anything like this could ever happen. It goes to show you that hard work can get you places."
Dallas senior Regan Rome placed 28th with a time of 18:21.2.
With Barrett's and Rome's contributions, the Northeast team won the championship with 26 points, outdistancing the West, which had 49 points.
Contact the writer: jbfawcett@timesshamrock.com @JobyFawcett26 on TwitterBARRETT'S RECORD-SETTING SEASON
Aug. 31, 39th Cliff Robbins Invitational: Captures the race with a meet record time of 17:26, which shattered the previous record of 19:07 set by Dallas' Regan Rome.
Sept. 4, Lackawanna League opener: Leads Abington Heights to a pair of victories by setting a record on the 3.1-mile course at Montrose in 18:14.
Sept. 10, Lackawanna League meet 2: Once again, leads her team to a pair of wins and set a record on the 3.1-mile course at North Pocono with a winning time of 17:17.
Sept. 17, Lackawanna League meet 3: With another outstanding run, she made it three-for-three, winning a race and setting a record on the 3.1-mile course at Valley View in a time of 17:15.
Sept. 21, PIAA Foundation Invitational: In the meet that serves as a preview for the state championship event, Barrett was phenomenal. She won the Girls Gold (Class AAA) race at Hershey Parkview Course in a record time of 17:48, which was 29 seconds better than the old mark of 18:16 set by Unionvlle's Courtney Smith in 2012.
Sept. 24, Lackawanna League meet 4: Led the Lady Comets to four wins in the cluster meet and broke her own record set earlier in the year on North Pocono's 3.1-mile course with a time of 17:16.
Oct. 1, Lackawanna League meet 5: Abington Heights won three meets in the cluster and Barrett put her stamp on her own home course, setting a record and covering the 3.1 miles in a winning time of 18:20.
Oct. 8, Lackawanna League meet 6: Pushed by strong runners from Holy Cross and Scranton Prep, Barrett smashed another record, winning the race in a time of 17:42 on the 3.1-mile course at McDade Park.
Oct. 15, Lackawanna League meet 7: Closing out a remarkable regular season, Barrett won again in a record time of 18:16 on the 3.1-mile course at Honesdale High School.
Oct. 16, Commits to Penn State University: One day after finishing the regular season and following a visit from coach Beth Alford-Sullivan, Barrett accepted a scholarship to Penn State University to run cross country and track and field.
Oct. 23, District 2 Class AAA Championship: A year after not finishing the district championship race because of an injury, Barrett cruised to the gold medal winning in 17:49 a full two minutes ahead of her closest challenger.
Nov. 2, PIAA Class AAA Championship: Fulfilling what seemed like her destiny, Barrett won the state championship and smashed her course record at Hershey Parkview with a winning time of 17:30, beating the mark she set earlier in the season by 18 seconds.
Nov. 30, Foot Locker Northeast Regional: With a late push, Barrett captures the 5,000-meter championship and qualified for the national meet with a time of 17:32.3, which was five seconds better than the runner-up.
Dec. 14, Foot Locker National Championship: Taking command of the race at the midway point, Barrett ran away from the nation's top high school runners and captured the championship in a time of 17:15.4, which was 10 seconds faster than her closest challenger.
An achievement so difficult to achieve, yet so simply stated.
Seizing the moment at the midway point of the Foot Locker National Championship meet in San Diego, Calif., the Abington Heights senior ran away from the pack of regional champions and qualifiers and sprinted to victory.
About five meters from crossing the finish line, the future Penn State runner lifted her arms, breaking the tape for the 5,000 meters (3.1 miles) in 17 minutes, 15.4 seconds to earn the high school girls National Championship on a sun-soaked Saturday on the west coast.
"This is really surreal," Barrett said. "This is the best moment (of my career) by far. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined being a national champion.
"It's just an incredible, incredible feeling."
Already the PIAA Class AAA champion and the Foot Locker Northeast Regional champion, Barrett chose to use her endurance, but more importantly her speed, to overtake the lead group of fellow champions at roughly the first mile-and-a-half mark.
"I wanted to make sure that the first mile I was comfortable," Barrett said. "I felt good and thought that at a mile-and-a-half this was a good point to pick up the pace and see where everybody would go and who would go with me.
"I got out and then got one more challenge later in the race, and that was important to push me even more."
Once ahead, no runner could catch the fleet-footed Barrett.
With the fast pace and 70-degree temperatures wearing on the competitors, her turnover increased and her determination carried her into a steep hill in the final 800 meters. When Barrett reached the crest and Hanna DeBalsiof Westport, Conn., who battled her at the Northeast Regional race, tried to close, she turned into a sprinter.
Picking up speed down the hill, Barrett cruised to the finish, beating DeBalsi by almost 10 seconds.
"I kind of forgot about that hill, but I said to myself that it's not as tough as the hill of the Hershey course, so I just swept up into it," Barrett said. "Then I picked up the pace and felt very strong. You just try to keep pushing because you never know what strategy the other runners used and who may becoming up on you."
Nobody came up on her and the victory capped a remarkable cross country career filled with peaks and valleys that included adversity and success.
Last season, a leg fracture during the District 2 Class AAA cross country meet prevented her from earning a coveted gold medal during a record-breaking year.
After earning championships and shattering records through the indoor and outdoor track and field seasons, she carried her momentum and motivation into this fall. Barrett built on her incredible legacy by breaking course records during each regular-season cluster meet in the Lackawanna League, in capturing the District 2 Class AAA race and in winning the PIAA championship.
She qualified for the national race by winning the Northeast Regional in 17:32.3.
"This is indescribable," Barrett said. "I never thought anything like this could ever happen. It goes to show you that hard work can get you places."
Dallas senior Regan Rome placed 28th with a time of 18:21.2.
With Barrett's and Rome's contributions, the Northeast team won the championship with 26 points, outdistancing the West, which had 49 points.
Contact the writer: jbfawcett@timesshamrock.com @JobyFawcett26 on TwitterBARRETT'S RECORD-SETTING SEASON
Aug. 31, 39th Cliff Robbins Invitational: Captures the race with a meet record time of 17:26, which shattered the previous record of 19:07 set by Dallas' Regan Rome.
Sept. 4, Lackawanna League opener: Leads Abington Heights to a pair of victories by setting a record on the 3.1-mile course at Montrose in 18:14.
Sept. 10, Lackawanna League meet 2: Once again, leads her team to a pair of wins and set a record on the 3.1-mile course at North Pocono with a winning time of 17:17.
Sept. 17, Lackawanna League meet 3: With another outstanding run, she made it three-for-three, winning a race and setting a record on the 3.1-mile course at Valley View in a time of 17:15.
Sept. 21, PIAA Foundation Invitational: In the meet that serves as a preview for the state championship event, Barrett was phenomenal. She won the Girls Gold (Class AAA) race at Hershey Parkview Course in a record time of 17:48, which was 29 seconds better than the old mark of 18:16 set by Unionvlle's Courtney Smith in 2012.
Sept. 24, Lackawanna League meet 4: Led the Lady Comets to four wins in the cluster meet and broke her own record set earlier in the year on North Pocono's 3.1-mile course with a time of 17:16.
Oct. 1, Lackawanna League meet 5: Abington Heights won three meets in the cluster and Barrett put her stamp on her own home course, setting a record and covering the 3.1 miles in a winning time of 18:20.
Oct. 8, Lackawanna League meet 6: Pushed by strong runners from Holy Cross and Scranton Prep, Barrett smashed another record, winning the race in a time of 17:42 on the 3.1-mile course at McDade Park.
Oct. 15, Lackawanna League meet 7: Closing out a remarkable regular season, Barrett won again in a record time of 18:16 on the 3.1-mile course at Honesdale High School.
Oct. 16, Commits to Penn State University: One day after finishing the regular season and following a visit from coach Beth Alford-Sullivan, Barrett accepted a scholarship to Penn State University to run cross country and track and field.
Oct. 23, District 2 Class AAA Championship: A year after not finishing the district championship race because of an injury, Barrett cruised to the gold medal winning in 17:49 a full two minutes ahead of her closest challenger.
Nov. 2, PIAA Class AAA Championship: Fulfilling what seemed like her destiny, Barrett won the state championship and smashed her course record at Hershey Parkview with a winning time of 17:30, beating the mark she set earlier in the season by 18 seconds.
Nov. 30, Foot Locker Northeast Regional: With a late push, Barrett captures the 5,000-meter championship and qualified for the national meet with a time of 17:32.3, which was five seconds better than the runner-up.
Dec. 14, Foot Locker National Championship: Taking command of the race at the midway point, Barrett ran away from the nation's top high school runners and captured the championship in a time of 17:15.4, which was 10 seconds faster than her closest challenger.
