Natalie Gomes didn’t waste time in surrounding herself with the best athletes on the North Bergen High School track and field team.
When Gomes was just a freshman, she didn’t know many people on the team.
“One of the first people on the team that I met was Carolina Herrera,” Gomes said.
Herrera is perhaps the greatest female to ever grace the North Bergen track. She was named the 2013-14 Hudson Reporter Female Athlete of the Year two years ago before heading off to compete at St. Peter’s University in the dashes and long jump.
So Gomes did just fine aligning herself to Herrera.
“I saw her body and she was built like a machine,” Gomes said. “I wondered if I could be like her. Being young and all, I needed a role model. I saw Carolina at the top. She was definitely someone I could idolize. I wanted to be like her. That’s the goal I wanted.”
Gomes watched closely as Herrera developed herself into the best athlete in the entire county, winning two gold medals and a silver at the Hudson County Track Coaches Association championships her senior year.
“I never thought I could get to that level,” Gomes said.
But Gomes never gave up the hope of being the best she could be.
“As I went through the seasons, I knew I was getting better,” Gomes said. “I was one of the youngest girls on the team as a sophomore. I never let anything get in my way. I wanted to win and I wanted all that success.”
North Bergen head coach Elson Smajlaj (pronounced SMILE-AY) said that he knew Gomes was a rare find early on.
“When she was a freshman, I saw her potential,” Smajlaj said. “I knew that with some coaching, she could develop into something really special. I saw her stride and saw her determination. Her sophomore year convinced me. Carolina was her best friend on the track and outside of track. Natalie ran her best just to stay with Carolina.”
Smajlaj saw the approach that Gomes took.
“She wanted to be as good as Carolina, if not better,” Smajlaj said. “Natalie chased her and chased her. Once Carolina graduated and left, Natalie took over. It was her team. She deserved to take over. She was the one who got the word out for me to the others, the one who got everyone going. She was in charge. She became an extension of me. If she felt like the team needed an extra lap, she did it.
Added Smajlaj, “Natalie is the hardest worker and the best athlete on the team. It’s amazing when those two come together. It doesn’t happen often.”
Gomes credits the running ability of her coach in her development.
“Coach runs with me all the time,” Gomes said. “I hate running alone. I’m better when I’m running with someone. Having Coach with me is a huge help. I feel the difference.”
Gomes also participates regularly in early morning weight training sessions before 7 a.m. before school started.
“It’s a crucial part of her development,” Smajlaj said.
“It definitely made me stronger,” Gomes said.
Proof of Gomes’ strength came last weekend at the Hudson County Track Coaches Association championships at Secaucus High School, considered as the county championship.
Gomes merely won three gold medals and one silver. Gomes won the gold in the 200-meter dash in 25.94 seconds, the 400-meter dash in 59.12 seconds and anchored the 4×400-meter relay, which won the gold in 4:10.82. Gomes was also second in the 100-meter dash in 12.62 seconds, with Union City’s Sabrina Ozoria winning the race by the slightest of margins.
“She lost by one/one thousandth of a second,” Smajlaj said. “She was that close to a perfect day, winning four events, scoring a perfect 40 points.”
Instead, Gomes scored 38 points for her team, leading North Bergen to the HCTCA team title.
“I had us winning on paper before hand,” Smajlaj said. “But winning on paper and actually doing it is two totally different things.”
For her efforts, Gomes has been selected as The Hudson Reporter Athlete of the Week for the past week.
Gomes has helped the Bruins win the Kearny Relays, the HCTCA Relays, a division of the Penn Relays Carnival, the North Hudson and now the HCTCA championship. That’s not too bad of a way to end a high school career.
“She’s worked three years for this,” Smajlaj said. “She’s come a long way.”
Gomes and her relay mates have now qualified for the United States High School Nationals in North Carolina on June 19 in the 800-meter sprint medley relay. Gomes will run the anchor leg in that relay.
Smajlaj was asked if he knew that Gomes would become a dominant force.
“To be honest, yes and no,” Smajlaj said. “She had a good indoor season. She had three bronze and a gold. But from indoor to outdoor, it’s an amazing improvement. She did that in just a couple of months. She bought into the program. She believed in the program and believed in the coaching staff. And she believed in herself. She did everything she was supposed to do.”
Gomes knows that there are other hills to climb, namely the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1, Group IV championships this weekend at Randolph High School.
“I have a lot more confidence now,” Gomes said. “I just beat out some girls who were beating me earlier. That makes me even more mentally strong. It’s awesome.”
And get this: Gomes won more gold medals in a county championship than her buddy Herrera ever did.
“That was definitely a surprise,” Gomes said. “At first, I couldn’t believe that. But ever since I did that, I want to be the one who others look up to. That would be fun.”
It’s safe to say that after last week’s performance, that process has already begun. – Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.