Woodbridge's Eason is Home News Tribune Girls Track Athlete of the Year
Coach Joe Rotella says there’s a running joke among some of the members of the Woodbridge girls track and field team.
They often get ready to board a bus or start practice, and Trinity Eason is nowhere to be found. She operates, he says, on her own time.
The sophomore may sometimes show up a little late, but she’s almost always the first one to finish.
The Home News Tribune Girls Track Athlete of the Year sprinted, hurdled and soared to new heights this spring.
At the Greater Middlesex Conference Relays, she joined with Catherine Catipay and Kaylah Davis to win gold in the 400 hurdles. Then she teamed with Catipay, Nyah Anderson and Taiwo Ibironke to win the sprint medley.
At the NJSIAA North 2, Group IV section, Eason was second in the 400 hurdles, fourth in the 400, fourth in the 800 and helped the relay team take home a gold medal.
At the Group IV meet, she was second in the 400 hurdles, fourth in the 800 and helped the relay team take second.
For her grand finale, she took second in the 400 hurdles with a school-record time of 1:00.93 at the Meet of Champions. Then she placed eighth in the 400 meters and helped the 4x400 relay team to a sixth-place finish.
Rotella said Eason’s silver medal performance at the MOC was something she has been building toward all season. Even though she was running against older, more experienced girls, Rotella could see that she was not intimidated.
“They make a big deal out of it when you hear a freshman, a sophomore is in the race because Meet of Champions are usually junior- and senior-heavy events,” Rotella said. “I think that day alone, just summarizes who she is. She competed. She didn’t back down.”
Someone had mentioned to Rotella, who’s in his first year as coach, that he had a talented sophomore on his hands. When the first practice began, he didn’t need anyone to point her out. Her graceful stride and the seemingly effortless way she literally and figuratively clears hurdles makes her stand out.
Eason’s elegance, however, belies a fierce and focused competitor come race time.
“I remember looking at her during the hurdles (at the Meet of Champions) when they line you up in the heats and you’re getting ready to go out there,” Rotella said. “Her head is down and she’s just jumping, doing a little stretching. She does not look left, right. As soon as she gets in there, she is looking forward. I can tell you, that does not happen a lot. We have some boys who talk to the other runners, like they’re all friends. She is very committed to what she’s doing. All business.”
Considering all her success this season, a lot will be expected of Eason come next spring. After all, Rotella said he was joking with athletic director Joe Ward that he can order the bus to take the team to the Meet of Champions the next couple of years.
Rotella said he and coach Jesse Angatia worked together to try to keep Eason level-headed and laser-focused.
“It’s kind of easy,” Rotella said. “I feel like she’s a good person, good student, good kid. I think it’s helping because she does stay in the moment. She can tell that. I don’t want to say she is the future, but she has the future potential to lead this program in great directions. And I think she can take it. She can bear that weight.”
Just don’t leave for the meets without her.