Dock sisters add depth to Providence Panthers

1998 Cross Country Menu | Main Menu

Original Source: http://www.charlotte.com/observer/sports/prep/fallsports98/dock.htm

Amy Dock loves to run in the heat. Her sister, Missy, prefers to run in the cold. Both should burn up the cross country trails this season. The two Providence High runners transferred from Danbury, Conn., this fall, and if their spring track performances are any indication, the two may vie for an individual state championship and help the Panthers to their first title since 1993. "They're both very talented,'' Danbury track coach Kevin Wilcox said. "Amy is a very, very hard worker. She sets very high and realistic goals and usually achieves those goals, and Missy usually stays on her shoulder and forces Amy to work. . . . hard.'' Said Amy: "It would be nice to win a state championship. I promised before I graduated, I'd win (one). So, I told him (Wilcox) when I left, that I'd send him a picture of the state championship team.'' There's no brashness in her statement, but there is confidence that it's not only possible but probable. Two people can't win a team title, but what the Docks add is depth for the Panthers, crucial in the scoring of cross country where the top five runners on a team score. All-Mecklenburg county runner and last year's Southwestern 4A runner-up Britt Ellis returns to give Providence the best 1-3 runners in the county and possibly the state. "Obviously Britt's going to have some help up front,'' Providence coach Kurt Niedenzu said. "It puts us in the position where we can compete for the state title. . . . if everyone stays healthy.'' That may be the real key to the Panthers' success. Amy, a senior, was nursing a stress fracture in her leg early this season after having a superb track season. She finished 15th at the National Scholastic Outdoor championships this past spring, running a lifetime best of 11 minutes 6.87 seconds for two miles. Her performance would have been the second-best in the state last year, behind Foot Locker cross country All American Sarah-Vance Goodman of T.C. Roberson in Asheville. Goodman's at college power Villanova this year, which leaves Dock with the best time in the state. For a comparison of the state's best returning talent from last year: Wilmington Hoggard's Julie Wilhelm, the 4A cross country state champion, ran 11:19.0 for 3,200 meters.v "As far as our expectations go, I think our expectations for ourselves are higher than anyone would set for us,'' Amy said of herself and Missy. "We're harder on ourselves than anyone else.'' Though both have a legitimate shot at the individual state title, that's not the only thing they can aim for. There's also the Foot Locker nationals, a competition for elite high school runners. Amy Herrman, who graduated from Providence in 1993, is the only runner from Charlotte to qualify for the event. Herrman was on the Panthers' first state championship cross country team in 1991, holds the state meet record for 1,600 meters for all classifications (4:51.59) and holds the 4A 3,200-meter record (11:01.33). Amy Dock is only a few seconds off Herrman's 3,200-meter record, and Missy, a junior, ran in the 11:20 range as a sophomore, which would have ranked her among the top six in the state. "We're always looking at going to the next level,'' Amy said. Said Missy: "We're never happy (with our performance). Not to say that we didn't finish really well . . . we just try harder and get back out there.''

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