LEXINGTON — As she sped all alone down the home stretch on a frigid Saturday afternoon, Dominique Clairmonte wouldn’t allow herself even a momentary backward glance.
Her nearest pursuer was almost 10 full seconds behind her, but Lexington’s junior sensation kept her eyes fixed on the finishing line.
“I was like, ‘No, you’re not looking back,’ ” Clairmonte said shortly after putting the finishing touches on perhaps the greatest season in Ohio high school girls cross country history with a Division II state championship. “I just looked forward.”
In life, as in racing, the diminutive Clairmonte prefers to focus on what lies in front of her. But standing atop the podium, soaking in the adulation of the appreciative crowd, the Richland Bank Athlete of the Week couldn’t help but reflect on the past 12 months.
The course to the state title was littered with roadblocks and detours.
A year ago, Clairmonte didn’t know if she would ever run again, let alone compete at an elite level. A stress fracture in her right foot derailed a promising start to her sophomore cross country season, forcing coach Denise Benson to shut Clairmonte down in early September.
“From coming off a stress fracture to this, I couldn’t ask for anything better,” Clairmonte said. “I’m so blessed.
“This is just amazing.”
She couldn’t have chosen a better word. Clairmonte’s junior season was nothing short of amazing. She won every event she competed in, often in overwhelming fashion.
“How good is she? I think she’s absolutely amazing,” Benson said. “She’s a state champion. … It was a phenomenal performance.”
Clairmonte jump-started her season with a victory at the Ohio High School Athletic Association-sponsored Early Season Invitational at National Trail Raceway, site of the state tournament. Competing against some of the top runners in the state, Clairmonte finished in 18:32.17, more than a minute ahead of runner-up Anna Brandt of Rocky River.
She set Lexington’s junior record at the ultra-competitive Tiffin Carnival in early September, breaking the tape in 18:11.93. A week later she shattered Mattie Moncayo’s school record of 18:07 at the Galion Cross Country Invitational, finishing in 17:46.6.
Victories at Centerville, Pickerington North and Marion Harding followed before Clairmonte torched the field at the Ohio Cardinal Conference meet in Orrville, finishing in 17:24.
That performance set the stage for a remarkable tournament run. She won the district title at Galion in 17:43.2 and claimed a regional crown at Tiffin in 18:19.5.
In Saturday’s state meet, Clairmonte had company for the first two miles before separating herself from the competition during the final mile to finish in 18:17.1. Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary’s Rachel Iacofano, who was less than a second behind Clairmonte at the two-mile marker, finished a distant second (18:26.52).
“She did drop the hammer,” Benson said. “She’s been going out fast the past few weeks. Last week she was a little freaked out because she went out in 5:27. She said she wanted to go out slower today.
“I said I thought she should go out five seconds slower. She went out 16 seconds slower. She went out a little too slow.”
Lexington finished second to Granville in the team standings by a single point. Lady Lex did it without a single senior among its top seven runners.
As dominant as Clairmonte was, Benson sees even better things in her future.
I know she has more,” Benson said. “She hasn’t had competition all year so it’s hard to judge.”
For now, Clairmonte will enjoy her state title.
“It just feels great,” she said. “Being a state champion definitely lived up to my expectations.”
