School: Neshaminy
Cross Country, Indoor Track, Track & Field
Favorite athlete: Jordan Hasay
Favorite team: Penn State’s Nittany Lions football team
Favorite memory competing in sports: “For indoor states, our 4x800 meter relay team stayed at a hotel in Penn State. There were five of us staying in one room, and we couldn’t even see the floor because our clothes were everywhere. We finished in sixth place, and it was an exciting experience to be able to go.”
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: “It wasn’t too big of a deal, but during a race in SOS’s, the hair tie I was wearing fell out. I had to run the entire race with my hair down, and it was really uncomfortable. To this day, I make sure I have two hair ties and an extra for a teammate.”
Music on iPod: “I like to listen to alternative rock; Jimmy Eat World is one of my favorite bands, but I’m pretty much open to listening to any genre of music.”
Future plans: “I’d like to go to college to become an optometrist.”
Words to live by: “Persevere and get it done.” The quotes on the back of the Newtown Athletic Shoe Shop shirts always leave an impression.
One goal before turning 30: “I’d like to travel to Australia. I’ve always wanted to go there to see the Great Barrier Reef.”
One thing people don’t know about me: “I don’t like to go on playground swings because I’m scared of insecure heights. I don’t know why, but I can’t trust myself on them.”
Martina Drew got a late start in cross country.
The Neshaminy senior – who ran cross country for the first time last year – is certainly making up for lost time. After qualifying for states in her rookie season, Drew has come back strong this year. She recently finished second in the prestigious Briarwood Invitational in the Division 1 Varsity Race, leading the Redskins to the third place team trophy.
“It was a feather in her cap,” coach Steve Harnish said. “Does she belong there? Absolutely. There’s no fluke about it.
“She deserves everything she gets.”
According to Drew, running has taught her valuable life lessons.
“It made my outlook on everything so much better,” she said. “I am so much more optimistic about things.”
While Drew is an accomplished runner, she is, according to her coach, an even better person.
“She’s a really, really neat kid,” Harnish said. “Having someone like her on the team is like gold. There are a lot of really good runners that may not have leadership qualities, and in a way, they could be a little egocentric and a little tough to get along with.
“Here’s a kid that is very humble and is very inclusive with her teammates and very supportive in a quiet way. She’s not overly vocal, but when she is vocal, she’s heard. The kids respect what she has to say, not only because of her example but also because of how she presents herself, and when she does speak, it’s pretty powerful.”
Drew has been competing in track since she was in seventh grade. She also played soccer. She became involved in winter track to stay in shape for soccer in the spring.
“I liked track so much more than soccer,” she said.
Cross country was a natural fit for fall, even though Drew’s main events in track were sprints – the 100 and 200 meters.
“She always challenges herself, always goes hard and is very passionate in what she does,” Harnish said.
Drew was inspired by her good friend Christine Esposito, who was a year older than Drew and a standout on the cross country team, and she began training with her the summer before her junior year.
“She helped push me and encourage me,” Drew said.
When Harnish asked his runners to write down their goals for the season on an index card, Harnish aimed high.
“I just wanted to go to states so bad,” she said. “I had to go for it.”
And go for it she did. Drew qualified for states, and although she wasn’t pleased with her showing at the state meet, simply getting there was quite an accomplishment.
“I have the same goal this year – to make it to states,” she said. “I would like to make it in the top 50.”
Harnish has been impressed with what he’s seen so far.
“She just committed herself to the training over the summer, and she’s racing really well,” he said. “She’s a quiet leader, very unassuming but just a hard worker and very, very competitive.
“The whole thing iis staying healthy and being there when it comes down to the end of the season.”
Drew’s improvement was evidenced in her strong showing at Briarwood where she ran a very fast 20:03 for 5,000 meters.
“She went out real strong and was in first place the first two-and-a-quarter miles, and it’s foreign territory to her,” Harnish said. “Normally, she’s going to have people go out, and she targets off of them.
“She knows, ‘If I stay close to that kid, I can see If I can beat that kid to the line.’ From last year to this year, Martina has taken a huge jump to now being in the front. She did well in the race.”
Drew admits she found herself in an unfamiliar position.
“I was scared – it was a little weird,” she said. “Usually I’m targeting someone else and trying to catch them.”
Drew followed that strong performance with a fourth place finish at the Council Rock Invitational with a time of 19:36 – a marked improvement from last year’s top 20 finish in the same race.
She hopes to continue both her cross country and track careers at the collegiate level, and although she is undecided on a college, she has chosen a major.
An excellent student, Drew, who is a member of the National Honor Society, plans to major in biology with a pre-med focus and has her sights set on one day becoming an optometrist.
Delaware is her top choice, but she is also interested in Bloomsburg and LaSalle. For now, however, her main focus is on running.
“I’m just pushing myself harder,” she said. “Before I might have held back. Now I’ll try to leave everything on the course.”
So far, the results have been impressive.
