Greenwood Christian senior Hannah Winn qualified for the regional for the first time in her career.
The first and most recent high school cross country races Hannah Winn competed in both measured 5,000 meters in distance.
As for similarities, that pretty much covers it.
The progression that Winn, a Greenwood Christian senior, has made the past four seasons is apparent when comparing times, placings and even the adjectives used to describe her.
“I’ve coached a lot of runners over the years, and the word I keep coming back to is relentless,” Cougars coach Sean Branch said. “Hannah has had this goal of making it to regional since her freshman year.
“For four years, she just kept one foot ahead of the other, keeping her eyes fixed on that goal.”
It became reality last Saturday, when Winn ran a career-best time of 21 minutes, 48.7 seconds at the Franklin Sectional, good for 29th place overall and a spot in the regional at the same course this Saturday.
“It’s very exciting, and probably one of my biggest achievements,” Winn said. “I know (regional) is probably going to be my last meet, but just being there is enough for me.”
To fully appreciate her accomplishment, one must understand where Winn’s prep career began.
Greenwood Christian opened the 2019 season at a meet at Blue River Park in Shelbyville. Winn, then a ninth-grader, finished near the back of the pack in 38:25 — or nearly 17 minutes slower than her sectional time four days ago.
“I remember I refused to walk,” Winn said, laughing. “It was 90 degrees and after school. If I wasn’t in last place, I was extremely close. It was the worst thing ever, but I never really thought about quitting.
“I got to love the people on my team and watch them succeed. I thought that maybe I’ll get there, too.”
Winn, who carries a 4.0 grade-point average and aspires to major in biochemistry once in college, has done so after clearing a sizable roadblock earlier in her career.
She missed her sophomore track and field season due to the pain caused by a muscle in her left leg that occasionally pulled her knee cap to the left whenever she moved her leg.
No surgery was required, though Winn did spend two and a half months attending physical therapy sessions.
Last fall, she continued to improve. Winn just missed making it out of the sectional, placing 11th among individuals from non-advancing teams (the top 10 move on).
Ironically, should Winn make it out of Saturday’s regional, she would end up back where it all began — Blue River Park, which hosts the Shelbyville Semistate.
Given his senior’s persistence to this point, Branch can’t possibly count it out.
“When I saw her first race, I had doubts that maybe this wasn’t her sport,” Branch said. “But Hannah has taught me a lesson, and that’s not to ever give up.”
