Highland senior wins state team track title all by herself
MARENGO, Ohio (WCMH) -- "I have seven pairs of shoes in my track bag,” said Highland High School senior Juliette Laracuente-Huebner, while counting them off on her fingers. “So I have two flats, high jump spikes, long jump spikes, triple jump spikes, and then practice sprint spikes and competition sprint spikes."
It may not be your normal kind of shoe collection, but like the sprinting Cinderella, Laracuente-Huebner’s shoes have changed her life.
"It was crazy being like, going up against teams that have 15 girls there and I was the only one who was representing Highland and it was like, ‘Oh well, I just beat them out all by myself,’” she said with a shrug.
In March at the Ohio Indoor State Championships held by the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches, Laracuente-Huebner won four individual titles, which ended up giving her enough points to win the Division 2/3 team state title all by herself.
"Oh I was so excited but I tried to keep it calm because I didn't want to boast or anything,” she said. “And then I went up on the podium for triple jump, came down, and yelled out to my coach, because all the events were done at that point, ‘I just won the team title!’ He started going crazy. My parents were going crazy. Yeah, it was really sweet.”
Laracuente-Huebner won gold medals in the long jump, high jump, triple jump, and 60-meter hurdles.
What most may not have seen was the event Laracuente-Huebner battled that’s not officially in the competition: simply being at the right place at the right time.
"So I was high jumping and long jumping at the same time,” she said. “Literally I would have to rip off my high jump spikes, and then I would have to sprint over to long jump and try to take a few jumps, and then come back. I almost missed my hurdle race!” she exclaimed, almost out of breath rehashing the schedule. “And then I was triple jumping, I think I did like one or two, and then had to go do the hurdle finals. I started about 10 o'clock and I did not leave the track until about 7:30."
"The most special thing about Juliette is her work ethic,” said Highland high school girls' track coach Chip Wendt. “In all my years, and I've been here since '85, '86, I've never seen any individual in any sport, at this level work this hard."
It's not just her times and distances that require work. Laracuente-Huebner’s mental toughness has to be on point as she navigates from one event to the next – sometimes switching back and forth within seconds.
“I just kind of have to take a deep breath and then be like okay I have to get in this mood,” she said. “For high jump, I have to be calm, and ready and kind of get my anxiety out, and then long jump, I have to just like attack and whatnot. Same with hurdles.”
Now, Laracuente-Huebner hopes that work ethic, success and mental preparation translate to the outdoor season where she’s hoping to vie for multiple OHSAA state titles.
“Outdoor you kind of have to play it by how the weather is,” she said. “You have to be prepared for like, okay if the wind is coming at my face then I have to move in so many feet or if it’s on my back I have to move back so many feet.”
Laracuente-Huebner is a senior at Highland high school and has already committed to continue her track & field career and her education at the University of Cincinnati. While there she wants to become a heptathlete on the track, and a nurse in the classroom.
But the dream? To take her track & field talents professionally.
She’s already working on the wardrobe, and while Laracuente-Huebner is athletically above and beyond the average person, she’s still just like us when it comes to footwear frustrations.
"It does create blisters though in all my feet which is awful! It's awful," she said.