By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- For the second straight season Seaman junior Bethany Druse was stuck inside in Lane 1 to start Saturday's Class 5A 800 meters race.
This time Druse stayed in the same spot, jumping out to an early lead en route to her first state championship, clocking a time of 2:19.00 to post a 1.6 second-win over Spring Hill's Vienna Lahner.
Seaman junior Bethany Druse takes command early in the Class 5A girls 800 meters Saturday on the way to the state title in 2:19.00. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
"Last year I got boxed in and I was in lLne 1,'' said Druse, who had finished fifth. "So when I found out I was Lane 1 this year I saw it as a second chance. My goal was to get out fast and stay fast, and I believe I did that.''
Druse accomplished that goal despite battling a stiff wind which made certain stretches of the race extremely tough.
"I felt it,'' Druse said. "It was diffficult that last home stretch.''
At that point all Druse cared about was getting home with the win.
"State is a meet to me where it doesn't matter the time, you just got first,'' she said.
Druse said she entered this year's state meet a lot more comfortable than she had a year ago.
"Last year was my first time coming to state and I didn't know what to expect,'' Druse said. "This year I had an idea of what to expect.''
Druse also helped Seaman earn a seventh-place state medal in the 4 x 800 relay Saturday morning and spent the rest of the day getting ready for the open 800.
"After my 4 x 800 we went to the building over there (off track) so that I could stay in the (air conditioning), out of the sun, out of the wind so I didn't feel tired, which I think helped me a lot,'' Druse said.
"In the 4 x 800 I didn't feel good at all, and in the 800 I did, so I'm happy. It feels awesome.''
Druse teamed with freshman Anna Becker, sophomore Savannah Sampson and freshman Taylie Heston to finish seventh in the 4 x 800 relay in 10:13.95 and teamed with Becker, Heston and sophomore Taylin Stallbaumer to take eighth in the 4 x 400 relay in 4:16.23.
Stallbaumer earned a state medal in the 100-meter high hurdles with a fifth-place finish in 15.86.
Seaman's boys got an eighth-place finish in the shot put from junior Sean Miller at 46-1.50.
