BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE OBSERVER
OPELIKA — An Opelika High School track and field star recently competed at the prestigious New Balance Nationals Outdoor meet in Philadelphia.
Caroline Couey, a rising senior who represents the Bulldogs in both cross country and long-distance track and field events, appeared in the girls’ championship two-mile race on Friday, June 19.
With a time of 11:07.96, Couey placed 89th in an event field that included 116 athletes from around the United States and Canada.
While Couey said that she was initially nervous and still tired from the experience, she was grateful to represent the city of Opelika and OHS on such a prominent stage.
“I just kind of took what I had from track racing, and just ensured that I was trusting my training, trusting the Lord and just really being intentional with my laps,” Couey said. “That last [lap], there was a moment where I was like, ‘Okay, we’re on a big stage, we can do it, we can bring it home and get this race done.’”
Her performance followed a notable junior campaign that saw her place in multiple events at the 2026 AHSAA 7A state track and field meet.
At the event in Gulf Shores in May, Couey secured a second place finish in the 3,200-meter run with a time of 10:53.19 and a third place finish in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:59.59.
Both of those times were OHS girls school records in those respective events.
Last November, Couey also broke the OHS girls school cross country record — one she set earlier in the season — with a time of 18:16.29 in the 2025 AHSAA 7A cross country state championship race.
That pace was good for third place and established her as one of the state’s premier long-distance runners.
Although she routinely faces tough competition in AHSAA events, last Friday’s race offered the aspiring collegiate runner the chance to truly test herself against top-flight runners.
“I had a really good state season, and I kind of wanted to see what else there was,” Couey said. “Going into nationals, I knew that this would be an opportunity for me to be running with some highly-ranked girls from all over the place. I’m hoping to run in college, so this was kind of a glimpse into what that’s going to look like.”
OHS head girls’ track and field coach Tiara Harris said that Couey deserved the opportunity to showcase her ability and hard work at the event after the junior season she had.
“We’re so proud of Caroline and all of her accomplishments,” Harris said. “We’re looking forward to seeing what she brings next year.”
With her junior season now officially in the books, Couey said she was ready to take some time to relax, enjoy her summer vacation and prepare for her senior campaign.
“I’ll take a break [and] my family will go on vacation, and then I’ll just continue to train for cross country,” Couey said. “I’ll really start racking up the miles and being intentional with my training in the weight room, and they’ll have cross country season, and through the winter with indoor [track and field season] which will just merge back into outdoor season for the final one of high school.”
