Wellman wins sectional

MUNCIE — Megan Wellman never felt comfortable during the 2014 season. Injuries made sure of that.
So when she felt that odd feeling — comfort — while running with the lead group early in the sectional race, she decided to do something about it.
Wellman accelerated, leaving the rest of the field behind her — way behind her.
The Jay County High School senior just kept extending her lead, first to 10 meters, then 20, then to more than 50 by the two-mile mark. By the time she neared the finish line, there was nothing left for her to do but glance up at the clock to check her sectional championship time.
Wellman finished in 19 minutes, 24.78 seconds — nearly eight seconds faster than the career-best time she had posted on the same course two weeks earlier at the Delta Invitational — to beat runner-up Brittany Tuttle of Delta by more than 40 seconds.
“It’s unbelievable,” said Wellman, who was limited to just three regular-season races a year ago because of injuries. “I’m just so blessed and thankful for being here, being able to do this my senior year. This is what I’ve always wanted since freshman year. This is what I’ve always wanted since middle school watching my sisters run. I’m so thankful for it.”
Wellman and fellow senior Kellie Fortkamp, who finished fourth, led the Patriot girls to a third-place finish and a regional berth in the 11-team field at Muncie SportsPlex with 92 points. The top five teams and top 10 individuals not on advancing teams move on to regional competition, which will again be at the SportsPlex on Saturday.
Host Delta won the title with 49 points, and Union City finished second with 78.
Emi Minnich, a Portland resident who runs for Muncie Burris, earned a regional berth as she led the Owls with a 12th-place finish in 21:17.26.
Jay County’s boys fell short of a team berth, placing seventh out of nine teams with 159 points. But the top three Patriots — Travis Barton, Alex LeMaster and Michael Denney — all earned individual regional berths for the second straight season.
Delta also took the boys title, scoring 56 points to fight off Muncie Burris (62) and Wapahani (75).
Wellman was conservative at the beginning of Saturday’s girls race, but gradually moved to the front by the 500-meter mark. It was about then that she decided to make her move.
“I realized that running with that first girl, I was comfortable,” she said. “And I thought, you know what, I can go faster than this, so let’s make the people behind me battle. That was my strategy.”
The runners behind her battled each other, but never had a chance to fight with Wellman after she made her move.
When she crossed the finish line, Tuttle was barely visible cresting the top of a hill on the home stretch more than 150 meters away.
 “It’s awesome … to see her do that,” said JCHS coach Leah Wellman of her sister, who won the sectional title a day before her 18th birthday. “After last season, I just hoped she’d get back to sectional, get back to regional. So for her to get back and to be as dominant as she has been and to be a part of it, it’s just an awesome feeling. All the credit to her. She’s done everything. She wants it so bad.”
JCHS last won the individual sectional title in 2012, when Abigail Johnson and Megan Wellman went one-two. Wellman was third as a sophomore and ninth during her injury-plagued junior season.
Fortkamp, who was held out of the Delta invitational because of an injury, ran a different kind of race, picking off runners throughout. After sitting eighth at the mile mark, she jumped to fifth at the two-mile.
She climbed one more spot in the final third of the race to post a fourth-place time of 20:42.64, just ahead of Kora Kerns of Union City and Aubrey Norris of Monroe Central. She had placed sixth behind Kerns (second) and Norris (fifth) last season.
“She ran an amazing race today,” said Leah Wellman. “I know being a senior she’s been frustrated with how her last season has gone. … It was nice to see her be so strong and get Aubrey at the end, which she didn’t think was even fathomable. But she believed in herself. I’m very happy, happy for her, that she had a good race.”
Barton set the pace for the Jay County boys from the start, running in the top 10 early and then holding the No. 12 spot at the mile mark. He faded gradually in the field, but still pushed his way to a career-best time for the third straight week as he broke the 18-minute mark in 17:59.88.
“He puts himself out there,” said Leah Wellman. “I know he really wants that semi-state berth. He’s been great about doing whatever he needs to to make that happen.”
LeMaster was less than six seconds behind as he finished in 18:05.13 for 22nd place, and Denney placed 35th in 18:38.64 to earn the final regional-qualifying spot.
Erika Kunkler followed Megan Wellman and Fortkamp for the girls team with an 18th-place finish in 21:45.31. Taylor Homan posted a time of 22:55.09 for 30th, and Gabby Kunkler, in just her second race of the season, was 39th in 23:50.92.
Skyler Myers (44th) and Tayler Smeltzer (45th) rounded out the team score for the boys in times of 19:06.36 and 19:13.2 respectively.
Also running for JCHS on Saturday were Vivienne Kunkler (63rd – 27:08.29) and Destiny Berry (65th – 27:37.58) for the girls, and Matthew Cox (48th – 19:16.46) and Dallas Dudelston (51st – 19:20.05) for the boys.