Gullo Athlete of the Month -- College Park's Brooke Paulsen

College Park Track Star

By Brittany Downey

College Park High School's Brooke Paulsen holds the title of the fastest girl in Montgomery County after winning the district meet in the 100-meter dash. While she is headed to Texas Tech in the fall, she is unsure if her competitive track career will continue after this season.

"My goal all year was to break the school records in the 100 and 200," Paulsen said. "Now that I did that, I really want to perform well in the post-district meets and would really consider running in college. I'll probably run summer track as well."

While running for the Red Raiders is an outside possibility, she will head to Lubbock for her college experience regardless if she gets the opportunity to run there or not.

"I love the atmosphere in Lubbock and the people there are so nice," she said. "It's kind
of like a family atmosphere up there and I can't wait to get on campus. It's going to be so much fun."

Paulsen has run for College Park since her freshman year and has had a decorated career making it past district every season. She has run everything from the 100-meters to long distance.

"It's weird," she said. "I woke up one day and I was fast. I just kept competing and reach my goals. I would find myself running with some of the top girls in the country and hanging with them. It's been a blast and I've make so many friends running track."

While she is a versatile runner, she is also a versatile athlete.             

"I've played soccer since I was five years old and danced when I was in junior high," Paulsen said. "It was a weird mixture of sports sometimes. When I got to high school I played soccer, but after my junior year on the team I decided to put my focus into track."

Summer track hasn't been a part of Paulsen's career but this summer she's looking to make her entrance against some of the competition she hasn't come across yet.

"I haven't run with a team in the summer, but if I choose to run during college, I'll make it a big consideration," Paulsen said. "I'm going to go with this running thing as far as it takes me."