It took lightning and a tornado warning to temporarily keep Megan Wright from her secretly held goal at the Mid-American Conference track and field championships.

The former Miamisburg standout ultimately persevered, garnering a surprise third-place finish in the 1,500 meters to cap off her freshman season at the University of Toledo.

Wright stood at the starting line for the 1,500 preliminary race before lightning brought a halt to the meet at Northern Illinois University. A tornado warning also was issued.

Wright didn’t run that race for another six hours. Most of the athletes huddled under the stands for a couple of hours, then the Toledo team went back to its hotel for another two hours. The Rockets returned to the stadium for ample warm-up.

The lengthy delay was about the only problem Wright faced that weekend. She easily advanced to the final, then stood firm in a windy race the next day to secure one of the team’s top finishes at the meet.

Considering her impressive high school pedigree, a bronze finish at the MAC championships didn’t seem outlandish, even for a freshman.

After all, Wright was an all-state performer in cross country and track at Miamisburg. She set a Vikings school record in the 1,600 and placed sixth in the state.

Then she started her college career with an impressive cross country season in the fall. As the top-placing freshman in the MAC (sixth), Wright helped the Rockets earn their third conference title and first NCAA bid.

As she quickly moved into indoor track, Wright started to wear down.

“In high school, I was used to having a whole month off after cross country. In college, I had four days,” Wright said. “I was adjusting to college training, They were harder practices and increased mileage.”

Although she accomplished her first sub-5-minute mile during the indoor season, she was still run down and wary of how the spring season would unfold.

With that uncertainty in mind, Wright kept her ambitious goal to herself.

“My goal was to finish high in the 1,500 in the MAC, to finish in the top five,” she said. “But I didn’t tell anyone.”

She somewhat discounted declarations by coaches in individual meetings that she had a realistic shot at placing.

“I thought they were just saying that to pump me up,” Wright said. “I said there are a lot of good runners in the MAC.”

In the conference final, Wright credited teammate Emma Kertesz with setting the pace through the first two laps. Wright finished in 4:31.58, a personal-best time by two seconds and the sixth-fastest outdoor time in Rockets history.

“When I crossed the finish line, the coach said, ‘We’re so proud of you.’ Just hearing those words made everything worth it. I was so happy.”

After a little breather following the MAC championships, Wright is back home in Miamisburg training.

She’s gearing up for the cross country season with a lot of cross training — biking and swimming in addition to her running.

She’ll be reunited in the fall with Lebanon sisters Ari and Ali Fisher, who will be back for the final season.

Ari Fisher is coming off a memorable finish to a frustrating season. Despite missing the entire season because of an injury, she returned for the MAC championships and managed to place third in the 10,000.

The cross country All-American will be shooting for her third straight individual MAC title.

Contact this writer with story ideas at (937) 847-8435 or d_lamb@msn.com

Similar Posts:

Share