Throughout the outdoor track season, one of the more consistent hurdlers in the area has been NISH senior Shatoya Linzer.

Coming out of an indoor season that saw her stumble at the state meet and finishe fourth after posting the best time in the prelimary run, Linzer has been a dominant force at both the 100 meter and 300 meter distances.

In fact, she hasn’t finished lower than third in any meet this season and is in the top 10 in the state according to NISH girls track coach Paul Phillips.

“Shatoya works hard, especially at the hurdles and at all the other events as well,” said Phillips. “She’s excelling now and hitting her stride. She sees how good she can be and is pushing even harder.

“I think if she continues on, she can have some really good times by district and by the state meet.”

NISH’s district meet is in two weeks and the state track meet is the first weekend in May.

“In hurdles in Class 5A, she’s in the top five I think,” said Phillips. “Right now, her times aren’t that great because we’ve been running meets in windy conditions.

“But she can get her times down a little more by the time district rolls around.”

Linzer has been running track since the seventh grade and has been under Philliups tutelage since coming to NISH in the ninth grade.

The NISH coach said that at the beginning, it took some work to get her to the style that she needed to run.

“When she came in, she was four-stepping and breaking her out of the four-step and into the three-step was a tough task. But once she got it, her times went way down and now she’s just running through like it was natural.”

For Linzer, who also runs sprints and the sprint relays for the Lady Jackets, running track was a natural thing.

“I really didn’t know that people across the state knew about me,” she said. “I just run and do what I have to do.

“I’ve been hurdling since seventh grade because I liked it. When I came to NISH, that what I wanted to do and that’s what I concentrated on.”

Linzer attributes her success at the event to practicing hard, going through several warn-up drills before even thinking about hitting the track.

“Jumping over the hurdle is different that just running down a straghtaway,” said Linzer. “I just like the challenge that it provides.

“No one else wanted to do it, they were all scared, So I just kept in running the hurdles.”

Friday night at the Tabasco Relays, Linzer kept up he top finishes by claiming both the 100 meter and 300 meter hurdles. She won the 100 meters by more than a second over the second place finisher and a hallf-second advantage in the 300 hurdles.

She also won the 100 meter dash and ran a leg in the third-place 4×200 meter relay.

“I run sprints and hurdles but I prefer hurdles,” said Linzer.

Now the NISH senior is gearing up towards district, regionals and state and while she just has to finish in the top three at district and regionals to move on, Linzer has her sights set on winning all three to go out on top.

“That would be great,” said Linzer. “I would love to be standing on top the podium at all three, especially at the state meet.

“To be able for my family to see me on top the podium would be the greatest thrill.”

Linzer also has one other goal that she wants to pursue, the Olympics.

“That’s what I want to make the Olympics one day,” said the NISH senior, who may be running at the collegiate level next year. “That would be the ultimate dream.”