MADISON TOWNSHIP — The wall of sound that greeted Emily Atwell as she neared the finish line Saturday afternoon was a little overwhelming, but the Madison sophomore could get used to it.
Atwell, the Richland Bank Athlete of the Week, placed 36th in the Division II state meet at National Trail Raceway in Hebron. She finished in 19 minutes, 23.9 seconds.
For the uninitiated, the finishing line at the state meet can be unnerving. The grandstands are filled to capacity and the fans are in full roar.
“I tried not to look at them because I would psyche myself out if I look up there and all those people were watching me,” Atwell said. “I don’t think I looked up there once when I was running, but I knew they were there. It’s impossible not to hear them.”
Saturday’s state meet was the culmination of a sensational final month for Atwell. She was second at the Ohio Cardinal Conference meet in mid-October, finishing two seconds behind OCC champ and conference runner of the year Carina Weaver of Lexington. The following week at the Owens Community College district, Atwell was fifth in 19:50.35. At the Tiffin regional, Atwell was sixth in 19:37.92.
“I was really excited how the season went,” Atwell said. “I’ve been training for it and I’m really happy how things turned out.”
Atwell was the first female runner from Madison to qualify for the state meet since Bobbi McLead made back-to-back state appearances in 1991 and 1992. McLead, who ran collegiately at Miami (Ohio) University, finished 12th in Division I in 1991 and 24th the following year.
“It’s crazy,” Atwell said. “It has been a really long time since someone from Madison made it to state.”
Atwell nearly ended Madison’s state tournament drought last year. She advanced to the Division I regional (Madison dipped to Division II this year), finishing 24th.
As for the future, Atwell hopes to make a return visit to National Trail Raceway.
“I was definitely excited when I qualified (for state) at the regional meet,” Atwell said. “I hope I can get back here next year and hopefully I can make it on to the podium.”
