Melayna ran in the 300 hurdles at the IHSAA Track Regionals on Tuesday, May 27th.
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The kids and I traveled up to Goshen High School on Tuesday night and we arrived around 6:30 p.m. in time to watch the 4x800 relay team run and finish in 4th place. (Top three advance to the state meet, but they would later get a call back so they will all advance). Then Melayna's teammate would compete in the 100 hurdle preliminary race. Despite running her second fastest time ever, she wouldn't advance to the finals unfortunately, but she did finish 11th overall, improving two places from her 13th place seed.
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When we got there and found a seat, we realized that we were sitting just a few rows behind the Grace track coach who had driven up to watch the three girls that are attending Grace next year. We also were able to talk to Annie's parents. Annie ran for our team last year and now runs in college, but her family came back to cheer Melayna on and Annie made sure to stop by and pray with Melayna before her race. 'So sweet to know that loved ones were coming out to support Laynie's last regional run.
The athletes weren't allowed on to the field until their event had been called so we didn't see Melayna until the relay event that was right before her 300 hurdles. There would be two heats of the 300 hurdles. She was coming into the night seeded 9th. Since the track that hosted sectionals had 9 lanes, we had hoped that she would run in the fast heat in that 9th lane, but this track only had 8 lanes, so she would be the fastest seed in the "slow" heat and would have to win the event in the hopes of setting a new PR and possibly beating a couple of the "slower" girls in the fast heat.
Here is a video from her race. She is in the 4th lane (5th runner from the top) and wearing the orange shirt. Again, apologies for the loud yelling and cheering. Her fan club really wanted her to win. LOL
This track also didn't have a live timer running so although we knew that she had won her heat, we didn't know what her time was.
She stayed out on the track longer than anyone else and just acted a lot more tired than after most of her runs. I remember saying that maybe that was a good sign that she may have run a new PR time, but we would have to wait for the official time to be posted.
Marissa had also been watching the race results live on milesplit, IN so she was able to see that Melayna finished with a brand new PR of 47.52!! We quickly texted Noel to let him know and then he went over to congratulate her on her time. After the fast heat was finished, we received more good news when we saw that Melayna's time was actually faster than two of the runners in that heat and she wouldn't advance to state, but she would finish with a career best 7th place!!
Way to go Melayna. Such a great season!!
Coach Howett was really happy. Melayna was just really tired. LOL
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Since Melayna was listed as an alternate for the 4x400 relay, she continued to stay loose and ready just in case but she ended up not being needed and would be finished for the year. Later, after she got home for the night, Noel asked if I would get a couple of pictures of them together since they weren't able to get together at the track. They wanted one picture together and then one picture pretending to hold the regional trophy.
It's been such a sweet four years with these two together. And now the roles will change and Coach Howett will get to sit back these next four years and just be a Dad who gets to continue watching his daughter run at the next level. We are so excited for that!
Melayna would compete in the track sectionals on Tuesday night.
We were all pretty nervous about this meet because there are so many good hurdlers in our sectional and although Melayna is certainly one of the top runners, she would have to run the best races of her season in order to finish in the top three and to be guaranteed advancing to regionals next week.
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At the end of last week, the forecast was showing that it was going to storm Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. None of us were looking forward to yet another rainy meet but what could we do as we certainly cannot control the weather? After looking at the impending weather forecast one more time, I prayed that God would hold the rain off just long enough for the meet to finish and then I threw an extra umbrella into the back of the car. As the day went on however, the forecast kept changing and by the time we walked out the door at 5:30 (with extra umbrellas in the car), the forecast showed that the rain was going north and we should be able to run the entire meet in dry conditions. God was answering our prayers -- and not only did He hold off the rain, but He also showed us great favor by cooling the weather down from the high 80's to the high 60's just before the meet started, making almost perfect conditions for some really quick times.
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When we got to the track, Melayna and Baylee were going through their warm-ups and were getting ready for the 100 preliminary races which would start right at 6:00. I know that Laynie saw me standing at the fence as she was warming up, but I didn't want to break her concentration, so I didn't try to talk to her. I just watched her for a few minutes and then I headed up to the stands to find a seat and to wait for the meet to start.
Just as the 4x800 relay was getting ready to go, I received a text from Melayna. She said that she was feeling a little more anxious about the meet than normal and could I come down and pray with her? Well, just the night before, Melayna had commented that she had felt so calm and excited the week before but she thought that it was because Annie had come onto the field and prayed with her before the race. Melayna was sad that Annie wasn't able to come to the meet because she wouldn't be there to pray. When I heard her say that, I told her that Noel or I would love to come down and pray with her before her race if she thought that it would help her so just to let us know. At the time, she just nodded but didn't say anything more about it, so when I got that text from Laynie on Tuesday night, I was a little surprised, but I got up right away and headed down to the track. She saw me almost right away and came right over.
We spent a couple of minutes praying for peace and a calmness of heart (and maybe that she would stay up through the entire race) and then I gave her a quick hug and headed back up to sit.
I don't know if praying made her calm...but I was certainly still nervous. LOL
And then it was 6:00 and time for the preliminary races to begin. Melayna would be running in the first heat in lane #4. The top two finishers would automatically advance to the finals and then they would take the next five fastest times. Due to her seed time, if Melayna could run a clean race and not fall, she should be able to advance.
Whew! I could breathe a sigh of relief because she stayed up...and she was going through with a preliminary time of 17.11. As she began to congratulate the other competitors, I could tell that she was really relieved as well.
We would watch the preliminaries of the 100 and 200 and then there would be a 25 minute break before the finals began and Melayna would run again. I was talking with my parents during the break but then I got another text from Melayna asking if I could come back down and pray with her again before the finals. I found her sitting with her teammate who had also advanced to the finals, and then she came over and told me that she didn't know what was wrong with her but that she just felt really tired and "out of it". We spent a couple of minutes just praying that God would give her strength and speed and that she would stay up and stay safe. And then as I was walking away, I came back to give her a hug and I just looked her in the eye and said, "Laynie, tell yourself that you aren't tired. Tell yourself that you are going to go out and crush this race. Tell yourself that you can do ALL things through God's strength. And if you don't believe it, then say it over and over again until you are convinced". She smiled and as I was walking away, I heard her talking to herself and saying "you are not tired" over and over again.
By the time that I got back to the bleachers, she was already heading to her lane to set up her blocks and to get ready to go. Finals would start in just a couple of minutes.
And now it's time to go. Top three in this race would advance to regionals.
Oh my goodness! She was SO close...hanging right in there until about the fourth hurdle when she stumbled just a little coming off the hurdle and she said it threw her for a bit. She did gather herself and start to come back but she was too far behind to finish in the top three. (Her teammate Baylee would advance to regionals by finishing in 3rd place)
Melayna would finish in 5th place with a new SB time of 16.87 -- which is also her 2nd fastest time ever. Actually, she wasn't expecting to advance to regionals in the 100 race, so we were all really happy that she finished as well as she did. And with that race finished, we could all collectively breathe a sigh of relief and sit back and relax for a little.
First she had to celebrate with a couple of friends...
...and then she got to celebrate with Noel.
I LOVE these pictures because you can see their pure joy. It has been such a sweet four years watching these two experience track together as father / daughter and coach / runner.
A few minutes later, Melayna would have to forget about the 100's and her finish in that race and head over to the start of the 300's. That would be the race where she had the best chance of advancing and we were all really hoping that she would run a good race.
Once again she would text and once again, I would head down to the field to pray with her.
And then she was off. She is running in lane #6... the fourth runner from the top. (You might want to mute the video if you watch this one. We were yelling just a little too much because sometimes the excitement is just too much and you can't keep it in) LOL
3rd place Regionals Bound!! 47.75 (New SB...2nd fastest ever!)
Unfortunately, our celebration didn't last long as we noticed Baylee's mom was running down the bleachers and yelling that Baylee needed to get up and finish the race. With about two hurdles left, Baylee's leg had simply given out and she had fallen to the ground and hit her face on the metal support of the hurdle. Blood was running down her face and everyone in the stands got pretty quiet as we were wondering if she was okay. Noel and Melayna both went running to her and then Noel called for the trainer.
You can see that Melayna is running to her friend...
It took a couple of minutes to get her up and steady on her feet but then she was able to walk off the track on her own two feet. Thankfully after a couple of stitches in the ER later that night, she would be fine.
Melayna's teammates and other coaches were still ready to congratulate her when she was finally able to come over to them.
We would be able to stay and watch the rest of the meet and then after it was over, Melayna would come over to tell us hello and to give hugs to her grandparents. She was looking much happier now that the meet was over and the Lady Tigers had another sectional championship in the bag.
Melayna ran in her final conference meet of her high school career on Tuesday night. Since the top two seeded runners from each school are allowed to run in each event, Melayna would run in the 100 hurdles and the 300 hurdles and she would also be the first alternate for the 4x400 relay.
It was fun to open social media on Tuesday morning and to see my girl's face.
Around 5:00, Morgan, Marissa, and I headed over to the high school. Since rain was forecasted to come through the area around 9:00 p.m., I grabbed an umbrella and a blanket to sit on and we went to find a place in the stands. My parents were also coming to watch so we saved them two places as well. Then when I went down to watch Melayna warming up and to take a couple of pictures, I saw that several friends who are home from college also stopped by to give her hugs and to pray with her. I know that really meant a lot to her and helped to calm her mind a little. And then it was time to get back to work.
Since this was a conference championship, the 100, 200 and 100 hurdles would all run preliminary heats before the meet officially started. Melayna would run in the first heat of the 100 hurdles and she would finish in 3rd place in her heat with a 16.90 and a fast enough time that she would advance to the finals. I didn't take any pictures or video of that race - or the finals - because I just wanted to watch it and take it in without worrying about whether I had a good view or kept her in frame.
She would finish the 100 finals in 5th place with a final time of 16.87. 'Just as they were finishing the hurdle finals, the rain started. It was light at first so we were hoping that it would pass us by, but after the mile was complete, it started coming down hard and everyone pulled out the umbrellas. I tucked my phone safely away so that it didn't get wet so unfortunately, that was the end of any possible pictures or video for the rest of the night. We just hunkered down - all three of us under one umbrella - and tried to stay as dry as we could. But how could we complain as spectators when the runners (and coaches) were still out running and getting soaked completely through to the skin.
A little after 8:00 pm., Melayna would run in the 2nd heat of the 300 low hurdles. By the time that she was running, it was coming down in a torrential downpour. The wind was picking up and Melayna said that at times when she was warming up, it was hard to see the hurdles ahead of her, but thankfully when she got on the track and the gun actually went off, she was able to focus better and then she said she could see them without any problems. I'm just praising the Lord that everyone stayed up and no one slipped or hurt themselves as they tried to jump over the hurdles. The times weren't the fastest, but everyone was running in the same conditions so the final placings ended up just where we expected them too with Melayna finishing in 3rd place. Her time was in the 50 second mark, which she wasn't happy about, but sometimes you just count your blessings and walk away feeling fortunate that it went as well as it did.
After the hurdles were over, we thought that Melayna was finished running so my parents left and the girls and I went down underneath the bleachers to stand where it was a little dryer and the wind wasn't blowing. Then when the races would start, we could step back up on the bleachers to watch. At that point, we still didn't think that Melayna would be running in anything else, but we wanted to stay until the end to watch the boys 4x400 relay as they were suppose to be really quick.
'Just a couple minutes after I took this picture, I saw that Noel was walking around on the infield and it looked like he was looking for someone. Then the sprint coach came across to the locker rooms and she also looked like she was looking for someone. Apparently, while the girls were running their 2 mile, one of the relay girls decided that she wouldn't be able to run in the relay due to illness, so Melayna would be asked to step in and run in the 2nd leg. She was in the locker room putting on sleeves and leggings and just trying to get a little warmer so when the coaches let her know, she immediately came back out to the rain and started getting warmed up. She would run a great 2nd leg, passing another team and putting them into the 2nd position and she finished with a 1:03 split, but the coaches were extremely happy with the team's finish, since the conditions were pretty terrible. Our Lady Tigers would finish in 2nd place in that relay and their high finish would secure another NLC conference championship by just one point!! It certainly doesn't get any closer than that. Melayna said that in the group huddle after the meet was over, the head coach recognized her and gave her kudos for jumping in at the last minute and having a great run -- and then she recognized their entire relay team for stepping up and bringing home the win. It was cold and rainy...but it was a wonderful way to close out the conference season.
Next Tuesday night is Sectionals. Top three in each event will advance.
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Added side note: Just after the rain started falling, I noticed that the Grace College head track coach was at the meet and he was walking down the stairs to leave. Apparently he had come over to the school to watch Melayna and another recruit run and then after the meet, he sent Melayna a sweet text congratulating her on a great performance and telling her how much he was looking forward to her joining their team next year. Needless to say, she was extra excited about that.
Another added side note: Noel found out on Wednesday afternoon that Melayna was one of the high point scorers of the meet as she scored 12 points for the team. She was excited about that.
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Since I wasn't able to get any pictures of Melayna in action at the very rainy meet, here are a couple from earlier in the season that a sports photographer shared with us:
And then a couple of weeks ago, Noel opened up social media and he saw that another local photographer had captured some really great action shots of our hurdlers and he wrote a fun little commentary on the girls and how he feels about hurdlers in general.
