Northwood junior girls track standout Kayla Kurth realized her feet moved faster than most of her peers after she began playing soccer in a recreation soccer league.

“I didn't do anything in track until the seventh grade,” Kurth said. “They had rec teams for soccer and the coaches definitely put me up top to score goals, because they noticed I was pretty fast.”

Kurth's seventh grade track coach decided to put her in the 800-meter run, which didn't go over well with the young runner.

Kayla Kurth (Press photo by Don Thompason/picasweb.google/ donrachael)

“I absolutely hated it,” Kurth said. “I didn't understand why. I wasn't sure where that coach was getting the mindset with that. I also ran the 4x100 relay and the long jump. Our 4x100 team has been the same team since the seventh grade.”

Fast forward to last Friday's Toledo Area Athletic Conference meet, which was held at Northwood. Kurth won three events and placed third in the long jump to earn the meet's most outstanding female performer award.

She tied her season PR in the 100 (12.8) and won the 200 in 27.0. Kurth also anchored the winning 4x200 relay (1:52.9), which included freshman Jessica Tonti and juniors Jessica Grindle and Nikki Davenport.

Kurth said it was important for her to win the 100 and 200 in order to help the team.

“We knew Toledo Christian is a huge rival,” she said. “It was important for me, especially in the 100. I didn't end up getting my all-time PR (12.7) this year, but it was important to me. I was happy to see I was the fastest in the league. I've been working on that the past couple years, and to have that happen was nice.”

First-year Northwood girls coach Brian Tucker said he had a good feeling Kurth would sweep the short sprint events.

“We were thinking she was the fastest person there,” he said. “If she gets a good start, she's very, very fast. We were checking times during the season on what these other teams had and we felt she was the fastest one. And she was, pretty definitively.”

Kurth helped the Rangers take second place behind defending champion Toledo Christian.

“She's had a great year,” Tucker said. “She's an outstanding sprinter; that's her thing. She has been consistently really strong in the 100. We haven't run her much in the 200, but she's going to run the 200 at districts and we think that's a good place for her.”

Kurth didn't run the 200 this season until the TAAC meet. She competed in that event as a freshman, turning in a personal-best time of 26.2, but she opted out of the 200 last year.

“That's not my favorite race,” Kurth said. “It makes me real nervous - almost so nervous I get sick. It just kills me, my nerves. My sophomore year I kind of chose not to do it because I got so nervous. This year I just figured I would jump back in it (at the TAAC meet) and see how I did.”

The Division III district tournament is Thursday and Saturday at Eastwood, and Kurth is confident she will be able to advance to next week's regional meet at Tiffin. She advanced to regionals as a freshman and sophomore in the 100, long jump and 4x100.

“I feel like I have a pretty good chance of making it to state this year,” Kurth said. “We pulled up times, especially for people in our district, and I think I'm sitting second or third in the 200 and a little farther down in the 100. Our 4x200 is sitting third.

“I just want to get the state-meet experience this year, and it would be awesome to get there next year, too. It would probably be the best thing to happen to me with track. Even if we make it to state and don't place very high, that's OK with me. Just to get there would be pretty awesome.”

The 5-foot-4 Kurth holds school records in the long jump (16-5), 100 (12.7) and 200 (26.2) along with the 4x100 and 4x200 relays.

Northwood has a good shot of advancing to regionals in the 4x100 and 4x200. Both relays will consist of Grindle, Davenport, junior Marissa Ramirez and Kurth.

“Our 4x200 is kind of our signature relay this year,” Tucker said. “There are some pretty quick teams in there, but if we hit some exchanges we have a shot to get to Tiffin. I would be very surprised if Kayla didn't get out in the 100 and 200.”

Kurth said her parents, Keith and Sarah Dempsey, are two of her biggest fans. Her mother was a track standout at Whitmer.

“She was an inspiration for me to continue with track,” Kurth said. “She's come to all my meets and been really supportive. It's nice to have that support. My dad supports me in track, too. He's just as into it as my mom.”

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