Alex Harriss has had enough stress and her Highland teammate, Eric Press, is just willing to try anything new.

The two Highland track and field athletes combined for five medals at the HWDSB track and field meet at Mohawk Sports Complex.

Harriss, a senior distance runner, won the 1500m race and then placed third behind Sir Allan MacNab rival Samantha Beattie and her Highland teammate Robyn Meldren in the gruelling 3000m event.

Press, a junior, made it to a pair of hurdle events last year at the provincial meet, finishing fourth.

Yesterday, he won the 110m junior boys race in 16.31 seconds.

Then he placed first in the junior boys' 300m hurdles in 43.36 seconds.

He finished off winning the junior javelin with a throw of 50.88m.

What is even more amazing, volleyball is his No. 1 sport.

His sister Robin was a hurdler at Highland under the tutelage of Mike Smith.

"Volleyball is my number one sport but I love track," Press said. "I was a sprinter in middle school, but he (coach Smith) decided to try me on hurdles. I did it and it worked out well, I went to OFSAA for both my hurdle events."

This year, he's trying to work on technique, not going too high over the hurdle. That's his focus.

He had never picked up a javelin until a few weeks ago.

During a team practice, Smith noticed a javelin sailing by and asked who threw it.

It was Press.

Apparently, the natural progression for a volleyball power is the javelin.

Nobody came close to him.

Harriss missed last year due to stress fractures.

She and Beattie train together and feed off each other.

"We both push each other to get better," Harriss said. "Running the 1500m and the 3000m in one day is a little overwhelming."

She says the 1500m is fun because it's fast and hard to lose one's focus. The 3000m is a mental race.

"They both are enjoyable," said the always upbeat Highland runner.

Next year, she and Beattie plan to attend the University of Guelph and run track if they can make the team.

"It's always better when you have people pushing you," Harriss said.

"She has been helping me get through the stress fractures."

Harriss also runs cross country and plays soccer -- a lot of soccer.

"I never had any rest," she says. "My stress fractures occurred early in the season and I ignored them. I just kept going and then, in August, I was told I had stress fractures."

She says the injury is in the past.

"What is so great is the team aspect, having everybody on your team cheer you on," she said.

"That is something really special. You run for yourself, but you run for your team."

Highlights

* There was a great battle in the senior long jump between Macdonald's defending champion Damion Vassell and Orchard Park's former junior champ, Carlin McLean.

Vassell jumped 6.36m to McLean's 6.30m.

* Saltfleet's Brittany Hicks won the women's senior discus and javelin with tosses of 29m and 36.29m.

* Waterdown's senior Sarah Weemhoff placed first in the girls 400m.

* The senior girls 4x400 team of Sarah Weemhoff, Kerri Brownridge, Elin MacRae and Amanda Weldon came in second.

* Waterdown's Jordan Baronet placed first in the 400m senior boys and second in the 200m.

* Ancaster's dynamic duo of Kelly Morrison and Emma Roung combined for eight medals.

tfitzgerald@thespec.com

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