Start hampers Jay senior

FORT WAYNE — Megan Wellman had to approach the semi-state meet with a different plan.
Normally, she’d do enough at the beginning to put herself in good position, and pass the runners ahead of her during the rest of the race.
Saturday, she had to sprint at the start.
“Having that fast start affected my legs more than they’re used to,” said Wellman. “My legs were dead, something I’m not used to.”
Wellman, a Jay County High School senior, and classmate Kellie Fortkamp, had their high school careers come to a close Saturday at the IHSAA cross country semi-state meet at IPFW.
“Megan ran her best race that she has ever ran there,” said JCHS coach Leah Wellman, Megan’s sister. “She ran the race that she needed to to be in a position to make it (to state).”
But Megan’s legs had another idea. Wellman, who was the Delta sectional champion and placed fourth at the regional in a school-record time, finished in 19 minutes, 55.76 seconds Saturday for 41st. Fortkamp was 111th in 21:35.49.
It was Wellman’s best finish on IPFW’s course. She was 77th as a freshman and 67th as a sophomore. During her injury-laden junior season, she was 134th.
The top six teams and top 10 individuals not on advancing squads earn a berth in the state meet. Wellman was the 16th-best out of individuals not on qualifying teams. Hannah Yeakey of Bethany Christian earned the final individual berth, finishing 23rd in 19:33.3. Pendleton Heights’ Alex Buck, who was ahead of Wellman at regional, was the semi-state champion in 17:57.14.
“I don’t regret it,” Wellman said of the start. “If I didn’t sprint I wouldn’t have had the position at the 1-mile and 2-mile.”
Heading into the first turn, Wellman was in the top 30, running alongside Olivia Von Gunten of South Adams before the course narrowed into the right-handed bend.
“She knew she had to get out to a fast start so she wouldn’t have to worry about going through a lot of traffic,” Leah Wellman said.
As the runners entered the woods for the first time toward the mile mark, the younger Wellman was 17th. She stayed there as the group exited the woods, but fell back to 23rd shortly after the second mile.
And after the third mile, as the group exited the woods for the final time and headed down the chute toward the finish line, the pain in her legs and fatigue started to take their toll.
“I was just thinking ‘How can I break through this? How can I end this race and put up a good fight?’” she said. “In the end I realized this could be the last race of my high school cross country career. I want to go out being proud of what I had done.”
Fighting through pain in her legs — Wellman had come back from a grade three hamstring tear as a sophomore — step by step she continued and crossed the finish line.
“Leaving the course I had a different perspective,” she said. “Going from two years ago — the threat of not being able to run again — and being able to come back senior year and have my best finish, that made me walk away and be proud of what I have accomplished.”
Fortkamp, who this year battled injuries herself, had her second-best finish in the four years she has run at semi-state. She was 79th as a junior after placing 121st in both her freshman and sophomore seasons.
“She’s battled all year long,” Wellman said. “She could have thrown in the towel and rested up for track.
“She didn’t and it shows the type of competitor she is.”
Emi Minnich, a former Jay County Patriot and current Burris Owl, also had her cross country career come to an end Saturday. The senior, who ran for Jay County as a freshman and sophomore, finished in 22:39.83 for 144th. It was her fastest time on the course, beating the previous time of 22:58.52 she set as a freshman.