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NSI Results
National Scholastic Indoor, 3/10-12/2000, at New York
Girls 200 Meters
Natasha Hastings
an 8th grader leads New York City delegation
by Don Rich
How does an 8th grade sprint star react to the pressure of a national meet?
"All I know is I'm the only girl from New York City in the 200 trials and finals, and the only eighth grader in the finals."
If that doesn't sound like the perspective of an eighth grader, that's because Natasha Hastings is a talent who is becoming more confident each day after returning from a two-year absence from New York City's X TC.
First, a few numbers.
On February 27, Natasha won the New York MAC Championship with a 54.63 in the 400. At NSI, she eclipsed her previous PR of 24.89 in the 200 in both races, running a 24.54 in the preliminaries and a 24.84 in the finals, good for fourth. The 24.54 is only .14 off the U.S. FRESHMAN record held by Marion Jones, set in 1990. And she's not that far from the freshman 400 record of 54.25 by Char Foster, Catholic, Clearwater, FL in 1995.
Both her prelim time and finals time would have won every heat of the semis at the Nike Indoor Classic. And her finals time in New York, while fourth overall, would have been third at Nike. Her 24.54 was tied for the sixth fastest time of any heat at either meet.
She is just 13 years old.
Natasha is the daughter of athletic parents. Her mother, Joanne (Gardner) Hastings, ran for the Trinidad-Tobago Olympic Team, and for the U.K. in both the 100 and 200. And her father was a competitive collegian.
Natasha joined the X TC as a nine-year-old, and according to Assistant Coach Sean London, was running a 58 at 11, and a 56.6 (h) by 12. "We knew the stuff was in there."
Natasha moved out of the city for two years, but returned last September after her times, and her confidence began to suffer. Jones and X TC Head Coach (and NSI Recruiter) Randall Joseph, were happy to have her back. "Her greatest quality, next to her talent, is her mental focus. She does the workout right the first time," London says.
"Actually, today (Sunday) she was a bit nervous against high schoolers. But after her 24.54, I know she's ready to attack the way she should."
For the MAC meet, Jones projected a 55. She beat that. And for NSI, he projected 24.8. She beat that, too.
"She's going to do very well in high school next year. And we'll be able to continue helping with her coaching, because we have found a high school that knows you can't work with someone all those years, and then expect them to just drop their coaches," London said. "We need more high schools to work with the youth coaches."
London and Joseph started X TC in 1994. The club has about 30 members, both boys and girls.
Hastings herself put it in perspective for her future competitors. "I was really nervous before the trials. But after running a finals at Nationals, I'm feeling a lot better."
The Records:
200 Records-Girls
* National: 23.67 Zundra Feagin, Cocoa, FL 03/09/91 FR Class: 24.40 Marion Jones, Rio Mesa, Oxnard, CA 1990 SO Class: 23.73 Angela Williams, Chino, CA 1996 JR Class: 23.69 Angela Williams, Chino, CA 1997 SR Class: 23.67 Zundra Feagin, Cocoa, FL 03/09/91 # Meet: 23.67 Zundra Feagin, Cocoa , FL 03/09/91
400 Records-Girls
* National: 53.45 Andrea Thomas, Walton, Bronx, NY 02/22/85
FR Class: 54.25 Char Foster, Catholic, Clearwater, FL 1995
SO Class: 53.45 Andrea Thomas, Walton, Bronx, NY 02/22/85
JR Class: 54.14 Heather Hanchak, Ellis, Pittsburgh, PA 1996 SR Class: 53.67 Diane Dixon, Tech, Brooklyn, NY 1982
