Pullen a natural on cross country course

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

By MATT DiFILIPPO
Staff Writer

Staff photo by Jim Evans
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Maranacook's Abby Pullen won the Western B regional championship, finished second at the Class B state meet and 19th at the New England regionals.

There are runners who spend years dreaming of what they'll do in high school, training for years to get themselves into their best condition for their teenage years and early 20s.

And then there's Maranacook senior Abby Pullen, who started running last year because she wanted something to do after deciding she didn't want to play field hockey anymore.

But Pullen certainly didn't run like a newcomer. After starting the season as the No. 2 runner on the Black Bears, she won the Western B regionals, finished second in the Class B states (and fourth among all runners in any class) and placed 19th at the New England Regionals.

That performance makes Pullen the choice for the Kennebec Journal Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year. Also considered were Pullen's teammate Jen Monsulick and Cony's Anna Ackerman.

Pullen finished first among all No. 2 runners at the early-season Rene's Run in Waterville, but she was still something of an unknown in the cross country community.

"A lot of people were asking my teammates if I was a freshman, or what school I transferred from," Pullen said.

But that lack of recognition may have helped Pullen. As a star softball pitcher, Pullen was well-known even before her freshman season, and there were always expectations -- expectations she never had to deal with while running.

"There's not much pressure if there's nobody setting you up," Maranacook coach Rosalea Kimball said.

"Nobody was saying, 'I wonder what she's going to do this year.' She was kind of an underdog who came out of nowhere."

But by the end of the season, Pullen was well- known, and was running with the best in the state.

"I think it was just learning more about the sport and learning what I could do," said Pullen, who said she will likely run in college next season.

Although Pullen said the only real training she did this summer was to attend a one-week running camp in Vermont with Monsulick, Kimball said Pullen's hard work was a part of her success.

As Kimball pointed out, Pullen is also a standout athlete and a natural competitor.

"Once you put those all together, you definitely have something," Kimball said.

"You can have the desire without the ability, and you can have the ability without the desire, and when you put those together, you've got Abby."

Matt DiFilippo -- 861 -9243

mdifilippo@centralmaine.com