HALEY GOINES
MARCH ATHLETE OF THE MONTH
By Rick Morwick
Center Grove senior Haley Goines isn’t your typical track and field athlete. She doesn’t specialize in a particular running event or a particular field event.
She specializes in a lot of events — running, jumping, sprinting, pretty much whatever the Center Grove girls track and field team needs from its top points producer.
“She can do anything,” Trojans’ coach Wes Dodson said. “She could do any event on the track and succeed. She is super competitive and tough. You can always count on her, no matter the moment.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a pressure situation or not. She will come through, compete and, most of the time, win.”
Winning has been a specialty throughout Goines’ four-year career.
A two-time IHSAA State Meet qualifier, Goines is a defending sectional champion in the 100-meter hurdles, the high jump and long jump and is a member of the Trojans’ defending sectional champion 400 relay team.
Moreover, she was runner-up at last year’s regional in the 100 hurdles and the long jump and finished 10th at the state meet in the long jump; 11th in the 100 hurdles; and was on the Trojans’ 10th-place 400 relay.
Not surprisingly, Goines has high expectations for her senior campaign.
“I have a lot of goals for this season, but I just really want to get my times down and get my form better and work really hard to get where I want to be,” she said. “I want to get my times down. If my times are low enough, I’ll get to state.”
But simply getting to state isn’t her objective. When she gets there, she wants to earn a state medal, which are awarded to the top nine individuals and relays in each event.
To accomplish her goals, Goines is applying some of the lessons she learned last season, including following the example set by her older brother, Christian, a 2017 Center Grove graduate and Indiana University recruit who, despite an injury, placed sixth in the 110 hurdles for the Trojans’ boys team at last year’s state meet.
“Last year, I learned that I should focus on my race and not focus on who’s in my heat,” Goines said. “I also learned last year from my older brother, Christian. He would eat all healthy and work super hard. He always sees the trainer after practice, and he ended up placing sixth at state. And so I learned that I need to start doing that stuff if I want to place.”
By virtue of her skills, work ethic and versatility, Goines was Center Grove’s leading scorer last season. But points aren’t her only value to the Trojans. Her leadership is just as valuable.
“She is awesome,” Dodson said. “She continues to work with other girls to help them with some of the more technical things. She also is great at pushing others to be their best.”
For Goines, it’s all about winning – for herself and her teammates.
“I think we’ll compete really well. Everyone’s working hard at the workouts,” she said. “I’ve seen a lot of people that used to not work very hard who are working way harder this year. Everyone has such a positive attitude, and there’s no drama on the team.
“Everyone’s really happy to be around each other.”