Two more titles for Konieczek

By Bobby Reyes

Times Staff Writer

Western Track and Field — With one lap to go in the 5,000-meter race, Alicja Konieczek led a pack of five runners, including Western State Colorado University teammate Georgia Porter. While it appeared to be anyone’s race, Konieczek wasn’t nervous. She had been here before.

A day earlier, Konieczek used a 73-second final lap to run away with the victory in the 3,000 steeple in 9:55 — a seven-second victory. The win marked her third national title this year, having claimed two indoors several months ago.

Despite running a preliminary heat of the steeple two days earlier, and a final heat the day before, Konieczek’s lethal kick was on full display as the five runners entered the final laps of the 5,000 at the NCAA Division II National Championships in Bradenton, Fla., this past weekend.

“I tried to run as easy as I could and I saved the kick until the very end,” Konieczek explained. “To be honest, it was a very hard race and with three laps to go I had bad thoughts about quitting, but when I saw Georgia and Sophie next to me, I thought that I have to do it for them, for the team.”

With 600 meters to go Konieczek pushed the pedal and telescoped away, running the final lap in a blistering 68 seconds to win the race in 16:24. Porter finished nine seconds behind in fifth in 16:33, while Western’s Sophie Seward finished 11th in 16:47.

Despite the challenge of racing three distance races across three days, the physical and mental toll was something Konieczek endured — and mastered.

“It was very hard,” Konieczek admitted. “After the race when I was super dizzy and fatigued.”

The win capped an impressive year for Konieczek, who claimed four national titles in total. With her wins, she became the only Mountaineer to win four national championships in the same year. Konieczek's fourth title puts her tied for sixth in Western history in all-time national championships. The junior will  need three more to join Elva Dryer as the most decorated Western woman runner with seven titles.

While Konieczek highlighted the Mountaineers, Western racked up a variety of impressive performances — littering the podium in the women’s distance events.

In addition to Porter’s fifth place finish in the 5,000, the senior nabbed a third-place finish in the 10,000, two days earlier. Porter ran 34:52 in the race. Junior Seward was the third Western runner across the finish line in the 5,000, crossing 11th in 16:47.

Ashley Long was the lone field events competitor for Western. The sophomore finished 17th in the hammer throw with a toss of 174-feet, 10-inches.

‘This is for them’

For the men, Robin Butler was toeing the line for the final time as a Mountaineer, and the moment was not lost to him.

“My body felt nervous before the prelim, to the point where I felt really nauseous throughout the day but by the time I was warming up I was good to go,” Butler shared.

As Butler leaned on the starting line of the 800 final, a myriad of thoughts dashed through his mind.

“I thought, this is for your parents who put you here,” Butler said. “This is for your coaches who told you you could do it. This is for your teammates that helped you and watched you prepare. This is for your friends that supported you as you bored them with track stats.

“This is your fiancé that put up with you driving 200 miles to see her then having to go for a run,” he continued. “This is for Gabe Proctor who used to run 8:30 miles with you and made you feel like one of the distance kids when you were a freshman. This is for them — do it for them."

Among those for whom Butler ran his final race was the late Proctor, who passed away nearly two weeks ago. Proctor was the 5k and 10k national champion for Western just four years ago, and despite his talents, he still made time for the young Butler years ago.

‘I gave it everything’

As the gun fired to start the race, Butler and the seven competitors exploded around the corner. Butler found himself boxed in through the majority of the first lap, as the entire field cruised by the 400 within a second of each other. Heading into the second lap Butler searched for openings and had to wait until the final corner leading to the finish line.

“With 100 meters to go I saw my opening,” Butler explained. “I gave it everything I had.”

Seven runners bore down the final straight with Butler inching forward ever so slightly. As they neared the finish it was evident this would be a close race. Butler leaned at the line and crashed to the track, though it wasn’t enough to take the win. Just over a second separated first from seventh, with Butler finishing third in 1:49.98 — two-tenths of a second behind the winner. The finish earned Butler his fifth All-American honor.

“I poured my heart into that race like I never had before but it wasn't quite enough,” Butler said. “It was a bittersweet end to a rocky career.”

Butler’s career as a Mountaineer was riddled with setbacks which nearly forced him to quit, as well as successes that prompted him on.

“I think my career can serve as a guide to everything a college runner can go through,” Butler opined. “I fought through injury and my own negativity to lose myself as a runner during my worst-ever season only to return to form in my final four races of my career.

“In that time I've been injured four of my five fall seasons, seeing two stress fractures and a handful of other injuries,” he explained. “My teammates and coaches got me through all that. They are hands down the best part of my growth as an athlete and as a person the last five years.”

Also capping off his Western career was Alex Schaffer in the 400 hurdles. The school-record holder finished fifth in 51.53. Schaffer became just the fourth Mountaineer to earn an All-American honor in the 400 hurdles.

In the men’s 5,000, Keifer Johnson paced his way to an eighth-place finish. A hot early pace separated the first three runners from the pack, which held through the finish line. Johnson finished the race in 14:22. The finish marked Johnson’s ninth overall All-American honor.

(Bobby Reyes can be reached at 970.641.1414 or bobbyreyes@gunnisontimes.com.)