After a physically and mentally taxing first semester of college, former Northwood state champion Caroline Murrell is finally starting to feel like her old self.
Murrell — now a freshman for the N.C. State cross country and track and field teams — joined the Wolfpack over the summer after an illustrious high school career, but she was quickly sidelined by back strains and missed most of the cross country season.
N.C. State went on to win its second straight national championship in cross country back in November, while Murrell dealt with something she hadn’t experienced before.
“I’ve never really had an injury before, so it’s been kind of new to navigate,” Murrell said. “But it’s better that it happened earlier on than later on, so I’ll know what to do and how to handle it better ... It kind of took a while to figure out what was going on, but we’ve got it figured out and I’m slowly starting back running.”
Another factor hampering Murrell’s first semester in Raleigh was the process of learning team dynamics and how to view herself as part of the team. Coming into the program, Murrell admitted she was intimidated by the success of many of her older teammates, as well as her accomplished coaches.
“When I came in, it was like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe I get to be around these people,’” she said. “It was kind of to my detriment, I think, because I never really wanted to bother my coach or bother other people on the team. They’re them, and I’m me. But now I’m trying to put it into a different perspective, like I’m part of them now. They’re not out of my league, or anything.”
Murrell said she has still been dealing with shin splints and plantar fasciitis in her recovery, but she recently had been running as many as five miles a day before slowing down a touch for the holidays.
The freshman hopes that after she’s fully recovered, she’ll be able to compete at the high level she knows she’s capable of. Her goals for the next few years are to crack the top seven of the cross country lineup and compete at a conference and regional level in her track events — the 1,600- and 3,200-meter races.
As a senior at Northwood in 2021-22, Murrell had one of the best years by any Chatham County athlete in recent memory. After finishing third in the 3A state cross country championships in November 2021, she added an individual state title at the indoor track and field championships in February, winning the 3,200-meter race in a time of 10:46.69.
In the spring, Murrell wrapped up her high school career by winning a pair of state titles at the 3A outdoor championships, winning the 1,600- and 3,200-meter races in times of 5:07.44 and 11:07.69, respectively.
Speaking with the News + Record, Murrell said that while her senior year didn’t live up to all her expectations, she was grateful for the time she got to spend at Northwood competing alongside her teammates.
“I was very happy with the season, but I wasn’t completely satisfied,” Murrell said. “I think of my time at Northwood and most of it was special. It meant a lot to me, and it taught me a lot. But I also know that (my senior year) wasn’t my peak. It kind of just gave me more fuel for college.”
Sports Editor Jeremy Vernon can be reached at jeremy@chathamnr.com or on Twitter at @jbo_vernon.