Patrick Henry’s Caroline Brailsford excelled in volleyball, swimming, and indoor and outdoor track and field to earn the 2012-13 Timesland girls athlete of the year honor. One measly letter. That’s all that separates Caroline from Carolina. But varsity letters are what Caroline Brailsford piled up during an athletic career at Patrick Henry High School that landed her a four-year stay in Chapel Hill, N.C. Brailsford will join the University of North Carolina’s women’s track and field program as a walk-on after winning the VHSL Group AAA championship in the pole vault at 12 feet, 3 inches. That is a height that would have placed Brailsford in the top 10 in the event at this year’s ACC championships. Brailsford set a high bar at Patrick Henry as a four-sport athlete who enjoyed team and individual success. In volleyball, she set the table for teammates. Brailsford led Patrick Henry to its first Northwest Region championship in school history with an all-court game that earned her a berth on the All-Group AAA first team. She placed second in the pole vault in the Group AAA indoor track meet during a busy winter season. For more than just kicks, she swam for Patrick Henry, winning a third Western Valley District title in the 50-yard freestyle. Brailsford really made her mark in the spring in an event in which she had limited background. Improving more than 2 feet in the event in 12 months, Brailsford achieved a rare distinction for a female athlete from the Roanoke Valley – winning a Group AAA individual outdoor track and field title. What’s next? Checkers? Chess? Scrabble? Better not play her. She might have those letters covered too more at Roanoke Times
