Naomi Coombs left her mark on Gilmer High School athletics.
The three-sport 2021 GHS graduate supplanted five total school records in track and field and cross-country, which prompted coach Josh Snider to call her, “The best runner to come through Gilmer County.”
When it is time to run next season, Coombs will make the short trip south to do so for the Kennesaw State University Owls. Coombs noted that Georgia Southern University, Lipscomb University and the University of South Florida also expressed interest but KSU’s location and field of study aided her decision.
“I do like the location, where it’s away from home but I can always come back,” she said. “My family is a big part of my support system and they’re always at my races. Plus the area, I can go anywhere and pretty much have anything I need.
“I’m majoring in early childhood special education, and they have a good program for that. I’ve grown up helping with (a friend’s) brother, and I’ve always gone to the Special Olympics. I think that would be a rewarding job to try and help people.”
Coombs’ running career began as a seventh grader at Clear Creek Middle School where she was also a member of the soccer team. She found success quickly and secured a spot on the All-South Team for her cross-country accolades as an eighth grader.
Her success continued at GHS, but she knew it was going to take more effort.
“Once I got to high school, the competition definitely got a lot harder. I knew I was capable of being up there, but it was definitely going to take a lot more work at this level,” Coombs said.
Coombs made some noise on the cross-country trail the fall of her freshman season. She placed third overall at the region championship (20:30.43) and went on to finish 31st at state (21:31.19).
Region was also held in Dalton Coombs’ sophomore year, and this time she turned in a runner-up time of 21:38.71. At state, she placed 18th in 20:40.74.
Coombs did not compete in the region or state meets her junior season. She returned as a senior and turned in another top-10 finish in the region race held in Helen with a time of 22:08.40 for eighth.
After qualifying for state the previous three seasons, the Lady Cats did not make another trip to Carrollton in 2020, which meant Coombs was unable to attend.
As an eighth grader, freshman and junior, Coombs competed at Foot Locker’s South Regional Cross-Country Championships in Charlotte, N.C. She placed high enough each year to earn a spot on the All-South Team. Her time of 19:49 at the 2019 event established a new GHS girls 5K record.
Coombs also secured four more records as a member of the track team. She was limited to three track seasons as COVID-19 wiped out the 2020 campaign shortly after it began.
During her time at GHS she won six region titles and helped the Lady Cats capture a team region championship in 2018. As a freshman, Coombs was a region champion in the 800 meters (2:30.95), 1,600 meters (5:41.97) and 4x400 relay (4:23.01). She competed at state in the 800 and placed third (2:20.53) while finishing seventh in the 1,600 (5:16.60).
As a sophomore, she placed first at region in the same events, and her times were 2:47.36 in the 800, 5:39.75 in the 1,600 and 4:29.04 in the 4x400 relay. The Lady Cats nabbed a runner-up placement in the 4x100 relay in 52.57.
Coombs went on to finish second in the 800 at state (2:17.57) and eighth in the 1,600 (5:13.95).
Gilmer dropped down to Class 3A for 2021 after spending Coombs’ first three seasons in Class 4A. GHS also got a brand-new set of region opponents. At the region meet, Coombs claimed second in the 800 (2:28.71). She joined forces with Reagan Boling, Taylor McCormick and Emily Hancock to finish second in the 4x400 (4:17.71).
Coombs also claimed fourth in the 1,600 (5:49.11) and was fifth in the 400 (1:02.17).
She qualified for state in the 800 and landed in seventh place with a time of 2:23.44. The 4x400 team took seventh as well in 4:21.52.
All records supplanted by Coombs were long-standing Lady Cat standards. Her time of 1:00.83 in the 400 erased a 36-year old mark. Her times in the 800 (2:17.52) and 1,600 (5:13.95) were previously set in 1993 and 1995, respectively.
Coombs, McCormick, Boling and Hancock broke their own 4x400 record numerous times and their fastest clocked in at 4:13.14.
“For the individual events, it was cool because some of them haven’t been broken in so long,” Coombs said. “The relay record was even more cool. Taylor was new, and Emily had been on and off the team. We never really ran together until the end.”
In addition to her running prowess, Coombs was a four-year varsity starter for the Lady Cats’ soccer team. She was a constant scoring threat and helped GHS reach the state playoffs her freshman and sophomore seasons.
“I do love soccer, but think I can go further in track,” she said. “I considered maybe playing both in college, but I think I’ll be better off focusing on running, especially with school and I’ll need to have a job. Two sports would make for a really busy life.”
The college cross-country season takes place in the fall and will be followed by the indoor and outdoor track seasons. Coombs is slated to run the 800 meters at KSU but is also interested in the steeple chase and 4x400 relay.
“The 800 will probably be my main event but I hope I can also get on the 4x400 team,” Coombs said. “Compared to the open 400, my time is always faster in the 4x4 because of the adrenaline and everyone is pumped. The 4x4 is probably one of the more fun events.”
KSU competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division I as members of the Atlantic Sun Conference.