ONA, W.Va. – The 32-degree temperature is enough to freeze tears to one’s face, but Lea Hatcher didn’t care – she was a state champion as a sophomore.
“I was beyond excited. Knowing all our work paid off is so rewarding,” Hatcher said. “I think I still have a lot to work on and look forward to, so I’m ready to come back next year and work even harder.”
Hatcher dominated the state track from the start, taking a big lead around the first bend and never looked back. Even if she did, though, she would have seen two blue and white jerseys behind her – MHS senior Athena Young claimed the runner-up spot and freshman Irene Riggs took 3rd. Hatcher’s final time, 17:24, is just seven seconds shy of the course record of 17:17.89 set in 2012. It’s a Class AAA record, however, as the fastest time was recorded by Class A St. Marys’ Maggie Drazba.
After claiming the Region I girls’ title Oct. 25, Hatcher relayed that she didn’t have a specific place in her head that she wanted to take at the state meet, but rather set a personal time goal for herself. It would give her more motivation, she said.
“My goal was to run under 17:30, so I got that,” Hatcher said.
And to be already focused on next year speaks to a runner’s mindset, one that Morgantown coach Mike Ryan said revolves around “being as good as your last race.”
“This race is now done, and now you have to start thinking about what’s (next),” he said. “We still have some races this season. We’re going to go down and run the Nike Regional meet and hopefully get a few girls to qualify for nationals in Portland, Ore. I think Lea is one of those that has the potential to do that, and the way Athena ran it puts her in that conversation. Irene – I can’t remember a freshman coming into this course and running around 18 minutes.
“Lea has made a great progression so far, and I expect to see her mature in the way she races and runs. The talent is there and I think she’s got the confidence now that she can go out and run some really fast times. I think the next step in her progression is getting her into national-class races to get used to that level of competition. It’s one thing to come out here (to Cabell Midland), take the lead and run by yourself, and it’s another to run with a group and be pushed.”
The dominance up front vaulted the Morgantown girls into the 1st place spot in the team standings with 39 points. The Mohigans were so far ahead of the runner-up Hawks (64 points) that a unison gasp was heard in the gymnasium during the awards ceremony. Preston rounded out the top 3 with 85 points.
“The girls came out with a plan and determined and followed that to a T,” Ryan said. “To come to the state meet and go 1-2-3 up front, I’m so proud of those girls. I’m really proud of the rest of the team, too. They really came together and it showed.”
“They’re all my best friends and we worked together every day so it’s amazing to have this (as a group),” Hatcher added.
University coach Ed Frohnapfel was quick to defend his girls’ team, though disappointed in the placings: Simply, “We got beat by the better team.”
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