By KELLY TERPSTRA, Courier sports writer
May 15, 2008 12:32 am
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OTTUMWA — Katherine Person couldn’t believe her eyes last Friday night in Ankeny.
The worst possible drama unfolded and the most-feared occurrence that can happen to hurdler transpired — a fall.
Person had just completed the opening leg on the Ottumwa Bulldogs’ shuttle hurdle relay squad when that disaster struck in attempt to qualify for the state meet at regionals.
Her senior teammate, Kendra Spurgeon, tripped over a hurdle and crashed to the ground.
Person’s stomach sunk.
Person is a four-time state qualifier and Spurgeon is a four-time Drake Relays qualifier. Little did the two seniors know they were eerily close to not making the 24-team state field in the event — something Ottumwa has qualified for six years in a row.
Spurgeon picked herself off the ground, finished her leg, then saw her teammates Kelsey Kelly-Celania and Kaitlin McElroy not miss a beat and complete the race in stellar fashion.
“Kelsey and Kaitlin ran really good times. Maybe they were mad that Kendra fell and they were just going,” said Person.
Then the Bulldogs waited and hoped. Somehow the Bulldogs were slotted into the state field, albeit in the 24th and final position.
Person will also run in the 100 hurdles at the co-ed state meet, which kicks off today at 9 a.m. with Class 2A shuttle hurdle relay prelims. She talked about what was running through her mind, still trying to catch her breath to witness the feverish finish.
“When it happened, I was like, ‘oOh my God, no, we’re not going to make it,’” said Person. “It was my first race of the night and I was like, is this how the night was going to go? I was so worried that I wasn’t going to make it to state and that would have crushed me.”
Ottumwa’s time of 1:08.92 is a good three seconds off what the foursome could possibly run. To make the finals might be a stretch in a lot of prognosticators mind, but not Person’s.
“The position we’re in right now in the shuttle hurdle is actually good because there’s no pressure. We’re sitting last, but I know we have the potential to make the finals and get a medal,” said Person, who is sitting as 23rd quickest in her individual event.
Then there’s Green fantastic freshman.
Ottumwa freshman Sarah Ryan made history as she became the first OHS girls track athlete to qualify for state in four events. She’ll compete in the open 100, the long jump, 4x100 and 4x200.
Ryan holds the school record in the long jump (17-6), something she competed in at Drake. Her nerves won’t be quite as evident as they were in April on the famed blue track.
“I’ve jumped in that pit already, it just helps me to know more about what’s going on,” said Ryan.
Ryan has the 17th-best time in the 100 dash and has the fifth-longest standard in the long jump.
Ottumwa’s 4x100 relay of Ryan and seniors Akiya Pope, Spurgeon and Person sit in the 21st-fastest qualifying time (51.75). The foursome ran at Drake.
Ottumwa’s 4x200 relay consists of Ryan, Spurgeon, Pope and freshman Allyson Sedore. They’re seeded as the 23rd-best team in the relay.
Ottumwa head coach Steve Green’s “can’t-quit” attitude is always present in his Bulldog runners. They’ll use that up in Des Moines to almost certainly improve on their times and represent his squad with dignity.
“If you want to get to state you have to earn it and put out maximum effort. I keep telling the girls, leave nothing on the track. Leave no doubt that you put forth your best effort,” said Green, in his 10th season as head coach at Ottumwa.
Ottumwa’s alternates are junior Molly Yates and freshman Nicole Morrow.
Ottumwa head boys coach Jim Nickerson, in his 20th season of leading the Bulldog boys squad, calls his junior runner Alex Kelly’s bounce-back from injury “nothing less than amazing.”
Kelly fractured his ankle in early April and was in serious jeopardy of not returning to a 4x400 squad that he helped to a fifth-place state finish last year as a sophomore.
Maybe even more amazing than Kelly’s recovery from injury was his squads’ qualifying state time in the event. Ottumwa ran a personal-best time of 3:23.54 at its district in Ankeny, some five seconds faster than the group had ran this season. Remarkably, that’s only seventh quickest in the blazing-fast field.
Three-fourths of the 2007 state 4x400 squad is back along with Kelly and fellow juniors Clint Utter and Tim Easton. Senior P.J. Shaeffer is the newcomer and was an alternate on last year’s squad. The group has only run together three times this season but has a quicker qualifying time than last year’s 4x400 squad.
The pressure is on Utter in the opening leg and Shaeffer — who will hold the baton the third time around the track according to Nickerson.
“Clint has a lot of pressure on him because in that first leg you have to get out. If he goes out with a 50.5, we’re in the money,” said Nickerson.
Nickerson said the Bulldogs should have the stick out front in their heat entering the third leg, when Shaeffer takes a hold of the baton.
“P.J. knows it’s his last shot. He has always given us 100 percent. I’ve never seen him give less than his best. I’m not concerned as a coach,” said Nickerson.
Shaeffer clearly understands his role and his one-time shot at the finals should be a good one.
“Friday you have to run your best time because there might not be a Saturday. You have to run like it’s your last race,” said Shaeffer.
Utter will also run in the open 400. Utter time of 50.78 sits him in the 16th-best seed.
Ottumwa senior Jordan Conley is back in the 110 high hurdles for the second time. He qualified as freshman in ’05. Conley is 15th quickest coming in to state.
Conley will join seniors Tyler Craff, Jacob Morrissey and sophomore Drake Bittner in the shuttle hurdle relay. The team is the 21st-fastest squad in the event.
Ottumwa senior Kurt Hopkins made state in the shot put. His throw of 48-7 at districts is the 14th best throw coming into state.
“That was an unexpected surprise,” said Nickerson. “Kurt said he wanted to qualify for state in something before he leaves high school. He did it. He chose track and you have to be happy for him.”
Nickerson’s alternates are seniors Cody Houk, Nathan Phillips, juniors Arnoldo Montoya, Garrett Crosby, sophomores John Lawrence, Dane Gordon and freshman Nathan Jay.
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