Senior Stella Miner had an excellent outing at the Warrior invite on March 30. The Kansas state recruit ran the four laps at Phelps Field in 4:47.49, shattering the 4:49.3 hand-held time by Elizabeth Lange of Lincoln Pius X in 2003. Miner gave everything she had to finally beat the state record for the 1600.
“It just felt so good, I wanted to beat the record for so long and this season I knew it was going to happen,” Miner said. “I’ve been training so hard to get there, and my indoor meets really showed me my potential.”
Coach Priester was proud of Miner and her achievement, he knew it was possible and always believed in her. Miner entered the meet with a state leading time of 4:49.30, which she ran indoors. Miner’s split times for each lap during the race were 71.5 seconds, 77.0 seconds, 73.9 seconds and 66.0 seconds. Her final lap was amazing to the finish line.
“We knew she had a pretty good chance at beating the record, and when we got to that last lap we knew it was going to have to be a big lap,” Priester said. “I knew she had it in her, but it was just a matter of if she was going to get there.”
Miner says that her race was a bit unconventional, as her middle laps were not as productive as her first and last. Miner still managed to sweep the competition and pull ahead for a win.
“I don’t think I paced the race as smart as I could have, I usually go into it with a pretty solid plan, but this time it fell to crap after the first lap,” Miner said. “But I ended up with the result that I wanted, so I cannot complain….The fact that I actually have done it, is honestly just a weight off my shoulders. I knew I was going to beat it at some point, but that fact that is already over makes me feel so good.”
The track and field season has just started which means that there is still time left in Miners senior season. Coach Priester was impressed with Miner and the fact that she had beat the record so early.
“I believe she has the chance to break the 4:40… but to break the record, this early, but that much, that’s a pretty big thing,” Priester said.
