Good posture. Stay centered. And if something does go awry look for a soft landing spot.

Not exactly how they write it up in the outdoor 300-meter hurdles manual. But when it comes to guiding a charging warmblood named Jackson through a maze of slightly larger hurdles, the Central Catholic senior track star has both disciplines down to a science.

The four-sport star | equestrian competitions certainly qualify as a sport | from West Newbury heads into her final high school spring season with a healthy combination of both anticipation and trepidation.

"I can't believe this is really it; it has flown by," says O'Sullivan, who will be staring at the ivy-covered walls at Columbia University at this time next year. "It's kind of surreal, but it's starting to sink in with all the college talk on the team."

It may take a little longer for Katie Sullivan to come to grips with O'Sullivan's imminent departure, however.

An assistant coach on this year's Raiders girls soccer team, Sullivan will also coach O'Sullivan. who earned team MVP and Eastern Mass. all-star accolades as a rock solid sweeper, in track, a sport in which she is a lock for big points in three events and brings even more to the table in her role as a captain.

"The one thing that really sticks out with Haley is how competitive she is, and it's a good kind of competitive," said Sullivan. "Last year, she was the only one we had back in the 300 hurdles and she took a young hurdler (Brianne Molloy) and really has motivated her. Track is a sport where it's tough enough to motivate yourself, but here she is helping to inspire others. That's just what you want in a captain."

If there is one more bullet point that O'Sullivan would like to add to what is already a very lengthy resume, it's to take the Raiders' 300 hurdle school record off with her to Columbia next year. Last year, she tied the mark set two years ago by current Middlebury star Jennifer Brenes with a 45.5 effort.

"I want to take that mark with me," said O'Sullivan, who finished third in the Class B championships, sixth at the All-States and eighth at the New Englands in the event. "I think I can do it."

Sullivan agrees and wouldn't be surprised to see the senior go far in several other events as well.

"Haley is one of those athletes that you have to knock out of events because she can do so many," Sullivan explained. "We were sure that she was going to get the mark last spring, but we had several meets rained out and she never really got the chance."

O'Sullivan will also be in the mix in the 100 hurdles and the triple jump as well this spring and has already won five out of her six events in Central's first two dual meets. During the big meets, she should anchor what looks to be a very strong 4x400 relay team for as well.

When not on the track or in the library (she has a 3.8 GPA and has made high honors every quarter), O'Sullivan can likely be found putting Jackson through his paces at Spring Tide Farm in Boxford, or simply working in the barn where she spends several hours as a groomer and a barn hand each week

It has been a lifelong passion for the accomplished equestrian who has traveled all over New England competing in countless state and even national equestrian contests.

"It's really great to get the opportunity to bond with the horses and there's that whole element of camaraderie with all the girls in the barn which I enjoy," said O'Sullivan.

"It's still a individual sport, but it's different from track in that you are relying on an animal as well and his mood is going to dictate a lot," added O'Sullivan who concedes that she been sent airborne from her saddle and been up close and personal with the business end of a horseshoe more than a few times.

Seamlessly fitting the whole spectrum of activities while never being bucked off course would appear to be O'Sullivan's greatest accomplishment. How does she do it all? Even O'Sullivan seems a little unsure.

"It's called stress control," she says with a laugh. "It's all about managing your time correctly."

It's a discipline she appears to have down to an art form and, in the process, she's left all the stress for those unlucky enough to line up against her in the either the hurdles or the equestrian ring