East freshman collapses near finish line

VanFossen was 20 yards from finishing in top 25; gets up to place 43rd.

Mesoraco's slam sends Reds over Braves
7:38 a.m.
Lost chances cost Cougars
5/25/12
Badin advances to regional final
5/25/12
West hopes to keep winning
5/25/12
Is third time the charm for senior?
5/25/12
> More sports headlines

By Scott Hayes, Staff Writer 1:02 AM Sunday, November 6, 2011

HEBRON — Lakota East freshman Abbie VanFossen gave it everything she had in pursuit of a top 25 finish at the Division I girls cross country state championships on Saturday at National Trail Raceway.

Unfortunately, her gas tank ran dry just years from the finish.

VanFossen was in 20th place when she collapsed about 20 yards from the finish. The Thunderhawk freshman got up and finished 43rd in 19:08.24. Teammate Kelly Burrows was 35th in 19:00.90.

“It was heartbreaking to see Abbie go down like that, but she’s OK,” Lakota East coach Adam Thomas said. “She’s got some cuts and bruises and is mentally beat down, but she’ll bounce back.

“There’s a lot of mental pressure in this race and she went out fast and gave it everything she had,” Thomas said.

“Unfortunately, it came back to get her at the end.” Thomas continued. “But I’m proud of both of them. They went out and took a chance to go for it, and you have to admire that.”

Lakota West senior Nathan Haynes took a safer strategy in the D-I boys race, but that didn’t pay off either. Haynes finished 90th in 16:43.89.

“I tried to use the same strategy that I used at regionals — go out at a good pace in the first mile and start picking them off in the last two miles,” Haynes said. “But these are the best of the best, and I found out it’s a completely different race than the regionals or districts. It takes a toll on you.

“When I got to that second mile, it felt like there were cement blocks attached to my legs. It just wasn’t my day, but it was still a great experience.”

Share this article