FR's Vogel takes 30th (11/06/06)

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Imagine starting from nothing and becoming one of the best in just two years. That is what Mindy Vogel has done.

The Fort Recovery junior, who did not start running cross country until her sophomore year, finished 30th out of 139 competitors in the Division III girls race at the OHSAA State Cross Country Championships Saturday at Scioto Downs.

She said she was somewhat disappointed because she felt she had a chance at a top-15 finish and a spot on the state-medal podium. Vogel was seeded eighth based on regional times, but those were hard to compare because of the cold, windy and rainy conditions..

"I ran just a normal race," said Vogel, who finish in 19-minutes, 47 seconds - her fifth-best time of the season. "It wasn't my best it, it wasn't my worst, I just ran my race.

But, "I can't be too disappointed because this was my first year. Overall, I can't be mad at my time because it was under 20. That was another goal of mine."

Gilmour Academy scored the upset of the day, winning the Division III girls state title over defending state champion and top-ranked Minster. Gilmour, which was rated third in the state heading into the race, scored 83 points to Minster's 89. Liberty-Benton was a distant third with 140.

Senior Caitlin Thomas of Cardington-Lincoln won the individual title in 18:32, outdistancing Anna's Sarah Schulze by two seconds.

Vogel got off to a good start as she ran out to the front of the pack with her conference rivals from Minster, who started just two lanes to her right. She was in 10th place early on as the pack made its first trip in front of the grandstand at the racetrack.

She was 15th as the group left the track area for the first time and completed a speedy first mile in the 3.1-mile (5K) race.

"That mile was a 5:45 mile," said Vogel. "I saw the time and I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I have two more miles like this.' It wasn't bad overall. I kind of liked the course. I've just got to work on the hills."

By the time the pack returned to the course and passed the grandstand again at the 2-mile mark, Vogel has settled into the low-20s, where she would stay the rest of the way.

Just six seconds separated 25th and 32nd place, and Vogel was in the midst of that group. She was just two seconds back of Spencerville's Lyndie Brown and Melanie Frank of state champion Gilmour Academy as she crossed the line in 19:47. She held off Ashley Fisher of Gibsonburg and Gilmour Academy's Allison Cordek, who each finished in 19:48.

"Mindy started out really strong," said FRHS coach Jennifer Grieshop. "She ran a smart race today. She finished 30th in the state, and that's not a bad place to be. That's a good showing for the first time at a state cross country meet."

Vogel was without FRHS coach Jason Grieshop, Jennifer's husband, who was performing best-man duties at a wedding. Jason would normally be with Vogel at the start of the race, keeping her calm and preparing her for the 3.1-mile jaunt.

Instead, she got some help from a rival.

Noticing Vogel was a bit out of sorts, a pair of Coldwater coaches, who had freshman Renee Kanney (100th - 21:10) in the race, came to her aid. They played a quick game of rock-paper-scissors.

"At the beginning of the race I was just a bundle of nerves," said Vogel. "I let my emotions get to me ...

"(The Coldwater coaches) were acting just like Jason almost. It made me feel at home. It calmed me down.

"I like their support, even if I'm not on their team. They treated me as one of their own."

Vogel has improved by leaps and bounds since her parents and the Grieshops convinced her to pick up the sport last season. After starting the 2005 track season as a sprinter, she was one of the top two runners on the team in cross country. She finished 21st at the Troy regional, just six positions short of a berth in the state finals.

"I don't know where to begin," said Vogel. "I saw last year that I could have made it to state. That just motivated me even more ... even during track season I was mentally preparing my self for cross ...

"I'm going to be working my butt off this winter, spring and summer."

If that is the case, the rest of the state should watch out.

Motivated by her near-miss regional cross country finish in the regional a year ago, Vogel went on to make the state track meet. She finished 12th there in the Division III girls 800-meter run, then put in mile after mile during the summer to slice better than a minute off her cross country time.

She broke the 20-minute barrier seven times this year with her best coming at 19:22.03 at the Eaton Invitational. She was the first FRHS athlete to compete at the state cross country meet since Val Roessner finished 37th there in 1999.

Jennifer Grieshop said she hopes to see more of the same from Vogel and all of the Tribe team leading up to the 2007 season.

"Mindy has become a driving force behind our team with her work ethic and her natural talent. But I don't think it's natural talent that has gotten her here," Grieshop said. "It's putting in the miles even on days when she'd rather not.

"She's always pushing the team. She sets the pace at practices.

"I know Mindy would like to see more of her teammates also travel this far with her. It makes the trip a little bit easier. Hopefully next year we can ... have a bigger showing at state."[[In-content Ad]]