Fresh off a 100-meter hurdles regional championship, freshman Aspen Garvey clinched a spot at the 2024 Class 6A state championships on Friday and Saturday at Wichita State.
“It felt great to win individually but even better to win regionals as a team,” Garvey said. “It was a lot of fun to celebrate as a group.”
As you can tell, Garvey is as humble as they come. Despite her success as a freshman, she has not let that get to her head.
Garvey has been running track for three years. As the only freshman in the 6A 100-meter hurdles field, her future is extremely bright.
“Coaching Aspen has been an incredibly rewarding experience,” Derby track coach Cedric Shell said. “From the first day she joined the team, it was clear she had a natural talent for hurdling. I knew she had potential, and to see her achieve such a remarkable success so quickly has been inspiring.”
Derby’s coaching staff of Shell, Garvey’s hurdle coach Neuschafer, and many others are all key factors in helping the freshman continue to get better day by day.
“I don’t feel like I am faster than everyone my age, but I have worked hard to get where I am today,” Garvey said. “My mindset at a track meet is to focus on my race and not to let other people intimidate me.”
That mindset is precisely what has helped Garvey continue to improve. Race after race, the freshman kept getting better, and from there, she started to see the constant work coming to light and her dreams becoming very much attainable.
“Her success is a testament to her hard work and her bright future in track and field,” Shell said.
