Colwell aims to improve on state success
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
For the second time in her cross-country career, Fairfield junior Ciara Colwell has qualified for the 2018 OHSAA State Cross-Country Championships and in doing so becomes the school’s first female cross-country runner to achieve that feat twice in a career.
Colwell has qualified for state after having another successful season as a member of the Fairfield Lady Lions team, a team that was Southern Hills Athletic Conference runners-up and raced at districts.
The cheerful Colwell was just as excited for her second trip to state as she was a year ago when she was making her state debut.
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“It is super exciting,” Colwell said in reference to returning to state. “It is exciting especially because I’m apparently the only girl in Fairfield history to go to state twice, so that is a huge accomplishment for me.”
The FHS junior placed 15th at regionals last Saturday in Pickerington with a time of 20:20.4, making her an individual qualifier. This season, Colwell also had a time of 21:17.09 at districts in a race at Rio Grande, and at the SHAC Championships she was the conference runner-up with a second-place finish of 20:07 at Ripley.
“This year has been a lot more challenging than the previous year,” she said. “I’ve gone through more stress and anxiety due to having harder schoolwork and just junior year school-wise has been harder, so the anxiety has taken its toll on my body and has affected my racing a little bit. Overall, I am actually happy where I am.”
Colwell has eventually seen improvement she’s wanted in her running this fall, beginning with the SHAC race and later at regionals.
“League is when I began to see the chances in my running,” she said.
“At league, I started to see improvement, and I was like ‘OK, I’ve definitely gotten back to where I want to be,’ but then districts didn’t go as well and I was kind of nervous. Then at regionals, I decided to go all out and try to get it and hold on, and I did.
“My main expectation all year was to just qualify for state and to just wait for the state meet to have my peak, because last year I performed really well at the state meet and we are expecting the same thing out of me again this year.”
Fairfield girls cross-country coach Kesia McCoy spoke highly of Colwell before the state race this weekend.
“Before the season started, Ciara already had high goals set for herself. She was determined to return to the state cross-country meet stronger and faster than the year before,” McCoy said. “As her coach, it has been a privilege to see her work ethic turn into success. Her team, community and I are all very proud of her accomplishments and are excited see her represent Fairfield Local High School at the state meet on Saturday.”
With last year being Colwell’s first race at state, she described what it was like to race with the best runners in Division III a year ago at the National Trail Raceway. Colwell had a finish of 29th place overall with a time of 19:45.3.
“It was incredible,” Colwell said. “Being able to race at that level, with that amount of competition, was just incredible. It was the sort of thing you are only able to do experience a few times in your life, so I’ve enjoyed it. My expectation this year is to just go and race competitively and to go out and have no regrets.”
Colwell has qualified for state after having another successful season as a member of the Fairfield Lady Lions team, a team that was Southern Hills Athletic Conference runners-up and raced at districts.
The cheerful Colwell was just as excited for her second trip to state as she was a year ago when she was making her state debut.
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“It is super exciting,” Colwell said in reference to returning to state. “It is exciting especially because I’m apparently the only girl in Fairfield history to go to state twice, so that is a huge accomplishment for me.”
The FHS junior placed 15th at regionals last Saturday in Pickerington with a time of 20:20.4, making her an individual qualifier. This season, Colwell also had a time of 21:17.09 at districts in a race at Rio Grande, and at the SHAC Championships she was the conference runner-up with a second-place finish of 20:07 at Ripley.
“This year has been a lot more challenging than the previous year,” she said. “I’ve gone through more stress and anxiety due to having harder schoolwork and just junior year school-wise has been harder, so the anxiety has taken its toll on my body and has affected my racing a little bit. Overall, I am actually happy where I am.”
Colwell has eventually seen improvement she’s wanted in her running this fall, beginning with the SHAC race and later at regionals.
“League is when I began to see the chances in my running,” she said.
“At league, I started to see improvement, and I was like ‘OK, I’ve definitely gotten back to where I want to be,’ but then districts didn’t go as well and I was kind of nervous. Then at regionals, I decided to go all out and try to get it and hold on, and I did.
“My main expectation all year was to just qualify for state and to just wait for the state meet to have my peak, because last year I performed really well at the state meet and we are expecting the same thing out of me again this year.”
Fairfield girls cross-country coach Kesia McCoy spoke highly of Colwell before the state race this weekend.
“Before the season started, Ciara already had high goals set for herself. She was determined to return to the state cross-country meet stronger and faster than the year before,” McCoy said. “As her coach, it has been a privilege to see her work ethic turn into success. Her team, community and I are all very proud of her accomplishments and are excited see her represent Fairfield Local High School at the state meet on Saturday.”
With last year being Colwell’s first race at state, she described what it was like to race with the best runners in Division III a year ago at the National Trail Raceway. Colwell had a finish of 29th place overall with a time of 19:45.3.
“It was incredible,” Colwell said. “Being able to race at that level, with that amount of competition, was just incredible. It was the sort of thing you are only able to do experience a few times in your life, so I’ve enjoyed it. My expectation this year is to just go and race competitively and to go out and have no regrets.”