4x100 - State Champion Recap

Walking down to the warm-up area I felt the normal pre-race excitement. We were ranked second coming in but that’s exactly how I wanted it to be. The four of us, Emily, Shea, Liv, and I, knew that we could run faster than the time that Northwest had put up. We sat in the grass, behind the Kona ice truck and barely warmed up because of how hot it was. As I stretched out, I tested my foot and ankle. The stress fracture in my foot was feeling okay but my ankle was not. During the 4 x 2 the day before, I had sprained my ankle and didn’t tell any of my coaches or teammates. So going into the race I warmed up my muscles, but barely did any run outs so that I could make it to the start line. Before putting spikes on, we sat in a circle on the grass, saying positive things for 10 minutes straight. We all had this confidence that eliminated any stress or anxiety I was feeling before. 

We walked down to the track to go put on our spikes staying positive the whole time telling each other that we can do this, we’ve prepared in practice, we know what we’re capable of. I did half a run out along the back stretch, feeling incredible pain in my ankle but I went back to my team and we did our high five ritual, said a Hail Mary, and went off to our separate corners. While jogging down the home stretch to the starting line, I kept nodding to myself, because I knew what I was capable of and what my three teammates were capable of. As the other 4x1 finals were run, I kept smacking myself with the baton as a nervous habit. I ran through the race repeatedly in my head from setting my blocks to getting set to hearing that gun going off pushing through the hundred and handing off to Emily. The official came up to us, giving the same speech he has given at Drake Relays and State for every single race. He congratulated us, told us what to do if we wanted to win, and told us when to set our blocks. I was locked in my zone when the Waukee Northwest girl turned to me and asked “are you the girl with a fractured foot?” I turned to her, smiled and said "Yes." She then asked me if I was nervous. I looked at her, and I said “No, I’m excited. I know exactly what I have to do and I’m going to do it. I love this race.” I turned back to the track and the official told us it was time to set our blocks. I jogged out to lane five and started setting them right away. I did a half effort run out to make sure my blocks were right. I knew that as soon as this race started all the pain wouldn’t matter so I just had to give it everything I got. I stood behind my blocks and put my hands on my hips while lifting my chin up, standing in a power pose done before every race. Except this time, it was different, there was no fear.  I felt a peaceful confidence as if I knew exactly what was going to happen. I remember standing there in awe of myself because I have never felt that way before a race. There wasn’t a single doubt in my mind. 

The starter said on your marks, and I knew it was go time. I got in my blocks and looked up waiting for the girl in lane seven to get down. When I put my head down waiting to be set it was just me and my team on the track. The starter set us and I held my breath, waiting for that gun. When it fired I was thinking drive drive drive. I focused on catching the girl in lane six until I could see Emily and her “GO” mark. Then I was focused on her, and when I hit that mark, she hesitated a little bit, so I slowed myself down to make sure I didn’t run up on her, and when she stuck out her hand, it fit perfectly between her thumb and finger. I watched her takeoff down the back stretch and started walking off the track. She handed off to Shea but Northwest was in the lead. There was a single second of doubt in my mind, but I pushed it away realizing that we are powerful and Olivia Kramer anchoring. Shea handed off to Liv and I started sprinting across the field, watching the Northwest lead grow smaller and smaller. Liv’s face had a look of calm focus until the very end where she threw the top half of her body across the line. 

I started jogging over to her, but then quickly turned around to look at the scoreboard. I stared at the board, shaking with adrenaline until the time went up, Dowling Catholic 48.01. I screamed so loud that everyone turned to look at me but I whipped around and started sprinting to Liv, stopping just before I ran her over. I don’t remember what we said but I remember the looks on her face. We spun around, hugging until we saw Emily coming from the corner with tears already on her cheeks. We brought her into our hug and laughed at her crying. The first thing Emily said to me while sobbing was “you’re leaving.” I laughed at her and said “Emily, we just won The 4x1!” Shea found us and we were all together, hugging, laughing, and crying as a team. We got our flags and I looked around taking in what had just happened. After a while, Liv and Shea started walking towards the podium. I stayed back and hugged Emily another time and told her I was so proud of her and that everything we had worked for paid off. Then I started crying with her. We caught up to Liv and Shea, but I couldn’t stop smiling, laughing, crying, and jumping up and down. It was only until we were waiting for our team to be called to the podium that I realized my ankle hurt like hell. After receiving our medals, we walked toward the exit where our entire team and coaches were waiting at the railing. I hugged every single one of them, and tried to take in all the emotions. 

I have never been so proud of anything ever before. I still tear up when I think about that moment and I will probably never get over it. Before the race I was a little upset about being pulled from the 4 x 4 and sprint med because of my foot, but I had to trust that it would be worth it. I’m so glad that my coaches made that decision because it made me a state champion. It was more than everything I had ever dreamed of when I walked on the team as a junior and it was exactly what I had worked for over the past two years. Looking around at the team I love, I realized there is no other way I would have wanted to end my track career with Dowling Catholic High School. 

Before the 4x1 finals, I was honestly terrified. While watching our team compete from the sidelines that day, I kept having to calm myself down as our race got closer. I continued to think of everything that could go wrong, even though I knew we had practiced over and over again. Katherine even had to hype me up hours before the relay telling me that I am so “awesome and speedy” and I’m gonna do amazing (which I had to keep repeating to myself). We cheered as  Kramer won the 100 and watching her win honestly gave me so much confidence. I kept telling myself that we had the FASTEST anchor in the state, so we got this. 

As the race got closer, the 4x1 team met up and sat in the shade because the sun was just beating down on us. We honestly were pretty relaxed as we were sitting with each other (at least we acted like it). Then it was time to warm up. I became nervous again because it actually felt real. Not only was it state finals, but it was also the seniors’ last race. We warmed up together, and also way too early (but that’s not a surprise). We stood there for probably 15-20 minutes waiting to get called down to the track. Finally, we were called to the track, and we walked down to put our spikes on. We got our tape, did some runouts, and it was time to go our separate ways. We said a Hail Mary, talked about what needed to be done, gave our high-fives, and then went to our areas. As I was in my spot I kept having to take deep breaths, and the runners around me probably thought I was crazy. I kept looking at our section, because that second leg is always right where our team sits, which is my favorite. Then it was time for the 4A girls to run. 

I went to my spot, counted out my steps (learning to go one step in front of the arrow because an official yelled at me in prelims), and did my pre-race routine. I looked up at our section one last time, and everyone cheered for me. The gun went off and I kept thinking, "I just need to get out and trust the mark." Ashley handed off to me and I needed to catch the stagger. I could hear our team cheering for me right after our handoff, and I felt like that made me run faster. I handed off the baton to Shea and I was cheering as loud as I could. I started making my way to the finish line, and I saw we were behind by about 2 steps. I wasn’t sure if we were gonna get it, but I trusted Kramer to catch Northwest. Liv kept closing the gap and then crossed the finish, right with the Northwest girl. I still wasn’t sure if we got it, so I kept looking at the scoreboard. Then, I saw Dowling Catholic come up first. I didn’t even look at the time, I just ran over crying to Kramer and Ashley. Then, I actually looked at the time and it was really just unreal. 48.01. 

We were telling Tom before the race that we were gonna get a 47.9, and he just laughed because that’s just crazy. But we were SO close. An official handed us our flags and I couldn’t stop waving mine around. We hugged each other so many times, and then walked to the middle of the field together. We got interviewed and although I planned what I was gonna say just in case, I totally forgot everything and just said what was in my head. We got up on the podium and waved our flags, then turned around to our section, who just went crazy. After, we went to go get our bags, and our team met us at the fence and congratulated us. We went up the stairs with our bags and hugged literally everyone around us. It still just felt so unreal. All the handoffs and staying late after practice paid off, but we couldn’t have won without our chemistry. 

The day of the 4x100 finals, the weather was beautiful. The sky had just enough clouds to provide shade every so often, and the heat made warming up too easy. I had run the sprint medley relay, the very first event of the day, and my next event was the 4x100 finals, which was the second to last event, so I had lots of time to stay occupied. I had discovered that I never felt much nerves regarding relays that I ran in, because I am able to share that experience with three other girls that I trust. Due to this, I snacked on my favorite food truck donuts in the morning and a smoothie from another food truck. I laughed with my other teammates in the bleachers, being careful not to get caught up in my mind and experience nerves. I instead focused on having fun, and warmup time came quickly.

The four of us migrated to the open grass field that was to be our warmup area. We were ranked second going into the finals, and this was another factor that I feel contributed to my lack of nerves for the race. I believe that when we have someone to chase, we are able to work harder and run even faster. It didn’t take long for us to warm up in the sunny heat of mid-afternoon, so we found shade behind the vibrant “Kona Ice” truck. We giggled and kept things light, for our trust was already rooted deep in a season of running this race with us four girls. Liv and I came up with an agreement to get Kona Ice snow cones after our race, as we longingly watched other athletes - finished with their events - order their own.

The time to slip our spikes on came quickly. I distributed all of the things we would need for the race. Strips of tape to place at our spots. Our lucky hot pink baton. One last time applying biofreeze to my shins. The familiar scent brought a certain comfort when I would step foot on the blue oval. We huddled together, and brought reminders of our trust in each other. “We’ve been working at this all season, the trust is there, you guys,” one of us would say. Then we prayed a Hail Mary together, like we have in all of our toughest settings. High fives to each other concluded our pre-race pep talk. Confident in ourselves and in each other, we dispersed to our spots on the track.

The stands, full of vibrant colors of fans, fueled my excitement. I was content instead of nervous, as I had full confidence and trust in how much work we had done to perfect our handoffs.

The race itself was a blur. I trusted my muscle memory to leave at the right time to receive the baton from Emily, like we had for two years prior, and noticed that there were girls ahead of me that I needed to work to make up some ground. When I handed off the baton for Liv’s anchor leg, there was no worry about getting the baton to her, either. Just like my handoff with Emily, Liv and I had been working on perfecting our handoff for two years - two entire seasons. There was not a thought in my mind that it would be any different than it always successfully has been. When I handed off to Liv, we were not in first place. But if there is anyone I would count on to make up ground, it’s her. I had the slightest feeling that the race was already won. I jogged over to the finish line, fingers crossed, glancing back and forth between the video board and the race that finished in front of me.

And there it was. 48.01. A new school record, and first place next to Dowling Catholic. I finally made it down to the blur of laughter, smiles, and tears and embraced Liv, Ashley, and Emily in a passionate hug, full of so many emotions. We had achieved that which we had strived for for so long. We had achieved that which we always knew we could. It was our trust in each other that I believe gave us the most strength and led to our success. We were handed our pink champion flags (to match our lucky pink baton, of course) and migrated towards the podium. I could hear the cheers of our team section up in the bleachers from down in the middle of the infield. What a supportive group of teammates that surrounded us. We waved our flags proudly, atop the podium, and excitedly answered the interview questions asked of us by the news stations.

One of the best feelings was returning to the sidewalk outside of the track, and being greeted by our beloved teammates. The hugs and excitement by all of my teammates was a feeling so unmatched. To know that you have so many people cheering you on and supporting you - that feeling makes you feel on top of the world. I know that so much of our success will be due to that. It is the love of and from your teammates that makes you feel as if you are truly capable of a state championship, and I so firmly believe that is exactly what occurred for me.

The 4x100 final was my last race that I’d run on Saturday, May 20th, 2023 and my final race I would run in a Dowling Catholic uniform. I was already on a high, having won my last two events beforehand, the shuttle hurdle relay and the open 100m. Going into the 4x100 final, I knew I had to give everything I had because this final race meant so much to me. This race was the last one I’d ever run with my Dowling Catholic girls and the last time I’d ever anchor a 4x100 at the high school state meet at Drake Stadium. 

I remember warming up for the last time. It was really hot and we were using the Kona Ice food truck for shade in the heat. We all stretched, did our A skips, B skips, and did a handoff if we needed it. We knew we were ready. We didn’t need much practice because it’s been this same team all season and we’ve worked hard and done dozens of handoffs to get to this point. We all were talking about this race, knowing we had the chance and were fully capable of winning. Finally, it was time for us to go to the track. We prayed our last Hail Mary together and then we had to split up. I looked out at the blue oval, seeing the crowds of people for one of the final races that day. The stands were full. I remember seeing so many people and so many bright colors in the stands. In a time where I used to be nervous or scared, all I felt was content. I felt so blessed to be where I was. Blessed for the opportunities and the skills that God had given me. Blessed that I had such a wonderful team of friends and coaches that supported and believed in one another. Blessed to have a family that will always be my biggest fans and watch from the crowds at every meet. Blessed that Dowling Catholic track and field had taught me more than just speed, work ethic, and perseverance the last four years, but that it had given me a second family. Dowling track had given me lifelong friends and people that I would always be able to count on. As I was going through thanking God for everything I was thankful for, I could feel the overwhelming sense of confidence in my team and I knew we were as ready as we’d ever be.  

Our heat was finally up, so I walked out onto the track. I put my tape on the ground, 19 steps away from my mark, and did a run out. I wasn’t even thinking about the other teams. All that was going through my mind was sprinting as fast as I could and to give everything I had left after these three long days at state. I was confident in Shea and I’s handoff because (not to brag but) it’s a really good handoff. The starter called the first leg to get in the blocks, and I watched Ashley take off as soon as the gun went off. Next, was Emily and I watched her sprint her backstretch and hand it off to Shea. As Emily was about halfway through her 100, I got down in my starting position. As Shea came around the curve, I could tell we were just a few steps behind Waukee Northwest. Right then I decided I couldn’t let that happen. Shea handed off to me and Northwest was a good bit ahead of us. All I was thinking about was my coaches telling me I could do this and putting one foot in front of the other as fast as I could. I remember catching up to her and thinking this is it, “I knew we could do it. Just push a little harder to get ahead.” I crossed the finish line and immediately turned to the scoreboard. I thought I had caught her, but I wasn't 100% sure. As soon as I saw Dowling Catholic 48.01 pop up on the screen as 1st place, I looked toward the field, where Ashley was running at me with a huge smile on her face. She picked me up basically off the ground as we hugged celebrating our victory. We turn toward the backstretch and see Heitzman running towards us with tears streaming down her face. We all hugged and finally saw Shea running at us with open arms. We all huddled together, holding our hot pink flags and me holding the hot pink baton we’ve used all season. I think we were all in disbelief, not because we didn’t think we could win, but because the moment just felt so unreal. It was everything we’ve been working for all season and we did it. The emotions were high, happy with a victory, but sad that we will never run with one another again.

After getting interviewed with the cameraman, we stood on the podium and waved to the crowds. Finally, we walked back to the grass where we met the rest of our supportive team and coaches. One of the best moments was seeing Tom’s face after the time we ran. He was so proud of us (and even teared up a little bit, but I won’t tell him I saw that). One of the first things he said was that our new school record of 48.01 will be up there for a long time. The final race of my final high school season was definitely the best way to end my Dowling Catholic career. I couldn’t have asked for a better team to end it with.