Sports

Bronxville’s Cain named USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week

Bronxville High School’s Mary Cain was selected USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week after turning in the fastest scholastic time ever in the 3,000-meters, a blistering 9:02.10 to win Saturday’s Dempsey Indoor at the University of Washington.

“It definitely is very exciting running against professionals now,” Cain said. “Many of the runners in my races have amazing resumes and a lot of experience, so I just remind myself that every race is just a learning experience.”

Cain, only a junior, opened her indoor campaign with a victory over collegians and pro runners. Her time is far better than the indoor and outdoor scholastic records. The indoor mark is 9:17.7 in 1991 by Melody Fairchild and the outdoor record is 9:08.6 in 1975 by Lynn Bjorklund. Nevertheless, Cain’s time was run on an oversized 307-meter track, so it might not be ratified as a national record.

“I was really excited to see the time 9:02.10,” she said. “Being able to achieve a big PR was really exciting.

“I went into the race just wanting to run smart and gain experience, but the time really was the cherry on top.”