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Assumption's Menster, Maquoketa's Miller take second in girls state track 3,000 races

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By Jon Gremmels | Friday, May 16, 2008 12:33 AM CDT | () comments

DES MOINES — Trisha Miller had the kick Mary Menster needed, but both Quad-City area runners were satisfied with their performances Thursday at the Iowa girls track and field state meet at Drake Stadium.

Miller, a junior from Maquoketa, passed several runners with a strong finish to finish second in the Class 3A 3,000 meters, while Davenport Assumption’s Menster was overtaken on the final lap by Abby Schlater of Council Bluffs St. Albert for a second-place finish in the 2A 3,000. Schlater finished in 10 minutes, 30.90 seconds, while Menster clocked in at 10:34.45.

“I thought I had it, but she had a really good kick,” Menster, a freshman, said. “She was really fast. I was surprised that she had that much left.”

Miller — and everyone else in the 3A race — knew winning the event was out of the question early. Grinnell’s Danielle Nowasell broke out to a huge lead and broke the 3A record in 10:12.36.

“She had it from 100 meters,” Miller said.

Miller, meanwhile, pushed herself to second place.

“I was ranked second coming in and finished third last year (at state), so I said, ‘I can’t finish the same place as last year,’” she said. “I wanted it so bad, so I fought my body. That last lap was just mental.”

Miller was battling Decorah’s Moran Lonning, and they passed Dubuque Wahlert’s Katie Hemesath and Meaghan Nelson of Cedar Rapids Xavier. Miller then passed Lonning and finished in 10:37.21, almost a second ahead of Lonning.

“When I saw her (Lonning), I knew I had to get going,” Miller said.

Calamus-Wheatland’s Molly Slattery finished fourth in the Class 1A 3,000.

With Carly Olsen of Logan-Magnolia, the state record-holder in 2A, and Brooke Dinsdale, the state record-holder in 1A, leading the field by a large margin, it was a race for second place. For a while, it appeared as if Slattery might be the one.

She battled her way from deep in the pack and was running toward a third-place finish, but Kara Telfer of Underwood caught her with 200 meters left and took third. Slattery finished in 10:58.15.

“I was praying for third, but fourth was good,” Slattery said. “I didn’t know where she was, but I knew somebody would be coming. I knew I was going to need a big kick. I gave it everything I had.”