A racing rivalry between Caroline Jennings and Samantha Waters begin during the 2007-2008 school year.
Caroline Jennings, a 7th grader at Christ Church Episcopal School of Greenville, was South Carolina State Class A Champion at both the 1600 and the 3200 meter distances. In addition, she was the 2nd place finisher in the 800 meter run. Landrum’s Samantha Waters, also a 7th grader, finished 5th in the 800 meter state Class A championship race.
In the 2008-2009 school year, Jennings and Waters — then 8th graders — were joined by Landrum’s Sarah Cash — a 7th grader. In the state Cross Country Championships that year, Jennings, Walters and Cash finished 2nd, 10th and 19th respectively. Although this was the first year Landrum fielded a girls cross country team, Landrum was second in Class A.
The Landrum boys team, also in its first year as a cross country team, was Class A state champions.
The rivalry among Jennings, Waters and Cash intensified at the SC State Class A Track and Field Championships that year. By that time all three had become major forces in the longer runs. In the 1600 meter run, Jennings, Waters and Cash finished1st, 2nd and 4th respectively. In the 3200 meter run, Jennings, Waters, and Cash won the top three places.
In the 2009-2010 school year, the competition among Jennings and Waters as 9th graders and Cash as an 8th grader continued.
At the Cross County State Championships, Waters finished 2nd, followed by Jennings and Cash in the 3rd and 4th places. (Both the Landrum boys and the Landrum girls cross country teams won state championships.) At the recent Class A Track and Field State Championships, Jennings was state champion in the 1600 meter run, followed by Waters and Cash in 3rd and 4th places. The three swept the 3200 meter run, with Jennings first, followed by Waters and Cash.
There are three more years of competition for the three runners. Cash, although a year younger than the other two, is now having better 5000 meter times at cross country than did Caroline and Samantha when they were Sarah’s age. Perhaps the longer the distance, the stronger Sarah will become.
Recently overheard was, “That Caroline. Can we beat her?”