Returning to Varsity Track and Field in 2019 after an injury cut her 2018 Spring season short, this week’s Athlete of the Week, senior captain Caroline Beaulieu, is determined to make up for lost time. The Dolphins have come to rely on the leadership and positivity Caroline brings to the table each day, and with her impeccable attitude, the Dolphins are once again a force on the track.

Throughout competition last week, the Dolphins competed in the Greenbrier Christian meet on March 28, with Caroline leading the girls to an overall 3rd place finish. Caroline competed in four events on Thursday afternoon, earning 14 total points for the Dolphins. Her highest finish came in the Discus event, setting a PR with a throw of 65-3 and collecting eight points with her 2nd place finish. She followed her performance with a second PR of the day in the Shot Put event, earning a 3rd place finish with a throw of 23-5.5. Caroline also took to the track, running the 200-meter dash in a time of 30.90 and the 400-meter dash in a time of 1:14.70.

“Simply put, Caroline’s greatest assets to Varsity Track and Field are leadership and grit. Caroline is willing to stay longer and work as hard, if not harder, than anyone on the team.  Characterizing Caroline in one phrase, when asked about different events, her reply is always, “What will make the team better?,” Head Coach Jim Lancaster said of Caroline Beaulieu.

Although Varsity Track and Field has only competed twice this season, Caroline’s improvement from the first to the second meet is an excellent sign for events to come. Beginning with the 200-meter dash, Caroline jumped three spots and set her season-best time of 30.90 in the Greenbrier Christian meet. She followed her 200-meter performance by knocking off three spots in the 400-meter dash. However, the most impressive jumps came in the Discus and Shot Put events, leaping eight places in the Discus and ten spots in the Shot Put. As the season continues to progress, the Dolphins will continue to rely heavily on the determination and leadership from Caroline Beaulieu.

“The girls’ side of the program is young this year, and Caroline has been a great mentor for the athletes beginning to learn the sport. She has always been a vocal leader, but the level of intensity has been dialed up in her final season with Cape Henry Collegiate,” Head Coach Jim Lancaster continued of Caroline.

However, the most impressive quality Caroline brings to not only the Track and Field program, but also to the Cape Henry Collegiate Community as a whole, is her unwavering positivity.

“Caroline is endlessly positive in practice and competition.  I have been most impressed with her ability and desire to learn.  As a senior, it would be easy for her to mail it in over the last few months of her high school career, but she has shown the willingness to learn and improve to the very end,” Assistant Coach Dashiell Quasebarth said of Beaulieu.

As Assistant Coach Grace Silipigni said, “She’s never not smiling!” To this point in the season, Caroline has encapsulated what it means to be a true competitor; competing as hard as possible, and enjoying the process enough to crack a smile. As the Dolphins finish this week gearing up for the next competition on April 11, Cape Henry Collegiate Track and Field looks for Caroline to continue her positive leadership and guide the Dolphins throughout the remainder of the season and deep into the postseason.