Springside’s Ellis-Watson gets her chance at last

Two things have marked the bulk of Taylor Ellis-Watson's running career: persistent injury and endless potential.

The potential: running the 400-meter dash in the 55-second range as a freshman. The injuries: tendinitis in both of her knees that sidelined her, practically, for two outdoor seasons across her sophomore and junior years at Springside School.

"It was a pretty brutal process that she had to go through and unbelievably frustrating for a year or two," Springside spring coach Craig Stephens said.

Despite the bad fortune, Ellis-Watson somehow earned a full athletic scholarship to Pittsburgh - another illustration of that silly upside.

"They just heard and read things about me and they were just taking a chance," Ellis-Watson said about her recruitment. Pitt coaches "sat us down, me and my father, and they said what they were going to offer and said, 'We're doing this in total faith. And we're trusting in you. We've never seen you run.' "

With scholarship in hand, and her injuries by the wayside as a senior, it's time for the official coming-out party.

At the indoor nationals in mid-March, Ellis-Watson placed fifth overall in the 400 meters and took home all-America honors. Through the opening weeks in this young outdoor season, she owns the fastest times in both the 200 (24.68 seconds) and 400 (56.10) in Pennsylvania, according to MileSplit.us.

Now - in stark contrast to the turbulent last two years - nothing seems to bother Ellis-Watson. She says her senior season is all about fun and is stress-free. She knows how to take care of her body to mitigate further injury.

She wants to be an outdoor all-American, to place in the top three at nationals. But one thing bothers her: lost time.

"It's bittersweet because no one knew who I was," Ellis-Watson said. "My 10th- and 11th-[grade] years were supposed to be my biggest years, so it was kind of frustrating. But now, surprising everyone is great."

She wants to shave her times - the 400 down to 53 seconds and the 200 to 23 - and will run the 100 once the weather heats up. Yep, Taylor-Watson is finally running, and quickly becoming the best runner in the state that nobody ever really knew about.

"I knew I was talented," she said, "but no one knew who I was."

If they don't by now, just give it a couple of months.

Ahead of the game. Scan over the top times and best throws and longest and highest jumps in Pennsylvania through the opening weeks of the outdoor track and field season, and you notice that athletes from the Philadelphia area are owning the competition.

Of the 26 outdoor events, an individual or relay team from Southeastern Pennsylvania holds 21 of the top boys' track and field marks. The number is 15 in girls' events.

On the boys' side, Suburban One athletes hold eight of those top marks; the league holds six girls' marks.

Chalk it up to a large metro area with plenty of top-tier talent, or consider something even more auxiliary: the climate.

"The reason is, basically speaking, weather," Pennsylvania Track and Field Coaches Association president Ron Lopresti said. "It's still snowing out in Pittsburgh and Erie, so therefore it's difficult for them to get the kind of marks in the big meets" thus far.

Track athletes continue to wait on spring weather to come in full - and look no further than the rain-drenched meets Saturday for illustration of the odd conditions for the sport.

But bigger events later in the season could provide more even numbers across the state, Lopresti said, as well as better times. The Penn Relays are two weeks away.