Chelsea Carrick takes an academic approach to distance running.

Veronica Schmidt's approach is based more on fortitude.

Both methods have worked.

Carrick, a freshman at Natrona County, and Schmidt, a senior at Kelly Walsh, have developed a solid rivalry - and a bit of a friendship - as they run toward state titles.

Schmidt won the 1600 at the Wyoming Track and Field Classic on Friday in a state-best time of 5 minutes, 21.86 seconds. Carrick won the 3200 in a time of 11:57.77, and still has Class 4A's top time this year, 11:48.73.

At Saturday's Casper Invitational, Carrick finished second in the 1600.

Schmidt's victory was little surprise. She has been a state placer each of the past two years and has continued to improve this year thanks to some training - with the wrestling team.

Instead of running indoor track last winter, Schmidt was the KW wrestling manager and ran with the team.

"It helps a lot, it really does," Schmidt said. "They run more than the indoor team does, sometimes."

Schmidt's coach, Kevin Williams, said the wrestling training doesn't directly correlate to distance success in the outdoor season. But there are positives to running on a mat rather than a track.

"The one thing about it, the wrestlers, you know they work hard," Williams said. "You have to be a hard worker to be in that sport to begin with.

"We're glad that she was doing something this winter, because in distance you have to have that strength base."

Carrick, meanwhile, has burst onto the track scene like few freshman could have. She was the state indoor champion in the 3200 in March and has carried that success into the outdoor season.

Shelly Coventry, the girls coach at Natrona, said Carrick's mental approach and focus are beyond compare for a freshman. Specifically, Coventry is impressed with how well Carrick knows her competition.

"(Before the race) she wants to see that heat sheet," Coventry said. "She wants to know exactly where she's sitting. I don't get freshmen that do that.

"If there's somebody ahead of her, that's all it takes (to motivate her)."

Carrick said she picked up that habit during the indoor season. During the outdoor season, she checks the online list of state qualifiers every few days, just to see how she stacks up. In part, Carrick's analytical approach led to her victory on Friday.

"I knew who my competition was, and I knew their times," Carrick said. "I knew I had to push it."

Together, Carrick and Schmidt are the best hope for girls' distance titles at the state meet. Neither runner claims a cross-town rivalry - in fact, they've gone as far as to trade bits of advice.

"We have a lot of fun together," Schmidt said. "We just push each other more than anything."

Contact high school sports coordinator Patrick Schmiedt at (307) 266-0615 or patrick.schmiedt@casperstartribune.net