The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Mayfield’s Biega takes momentum, perspective into Day 2
COLUMBUS » Nick Biega knows as well as anyone by now what Day 1 at the state track and field meet is all about.
Handle your business, and get back to your hotel somewhere in the Greater Columbus area.
The Mayfield junior, and Ohio for that matter, were thrown a proverbial curveball as Biega competed in Division I preliminaries, though.
Biega recorded a 10.64 in the 100-meter dash and a 21.50 in 200, two outstanding times to take into Day 2 finals June 4.
But the news wasn't what was on the track, but rather who was not.
Westerville Central's dynamic senior sprinter Justin Braun, a prohibitive favorite for the triple crown in 100, 200 and 400, was a DNS (did not start) in all four of his events. Word began to circulate around the facility that Braun had suffered an injury during practice this week, rendering him unable to compete.
As for Biega, his business trip was handled.
“I was in Lane 6 unfortunately (for 200), and there wasn't a guy in (Lane) 5 or 4, so it was hard to see somebody,” Biega said. “It's hard to be pushed by somebody when you don't have somebody next to you. I for sure made up the stagger, and like I said, the last 100, I was definitely trying to save some energy. But I didn't have to go super hard in that without anyone next to me.”
The state experience was altered, in the sense Biega didn't have his usual 4×200 and 4×4 responsibilities in Columbus as he did for most of the spring. That afforded an adjustment as far as approach for the nearly 90 minutes between two races.
“I got here, and I was like, ‘The meet has already started,'” Biega said. “I had to rush for a hurdle. I had to find a hurdle to stretch on and find limited space to warm up on. I didn't really like that, but I'm definitely more used to it for tomorrow's finals. I'm coming into it more prepared.”
The news of Braun's unfortunate
withdrawal became more apparent as the meet went on. Biega, ever
the competitor, brought perspective to the matter.
“Some people were happy.
I definitely was not happy at all,” Biega said. “Because when you have someone in front of you, that pushes you to run your best times, colleges want the best times. They don't care if you won or not. They want best times. So definitely, I was upset about that.
“I've got to come in tomorrow with a good mentality and try to be a state champion for sure.”
D-I finals did not go ideally from a News-Herald coverage area standpoint, although a pair of 4x8s made the podium.
Mentor's girls 4×8, with a late Savannah Dennison rally, got into eighth with a 9:26.16. Chardon's boys 4×8 hung in for a eighth as well, recording a 7:56.00.