URBANA — What happens when the sole track competitor who qualified for state leaves along with her senior class?

Answer: You become tougher.

The outdoor track and field season has already begun, and it is quite obvious that the Uni girls are motivated to make a statement after the graduation of Ruthie Welch, who placed ninth and won a medal in the 800-meter run at last year's Class A state finals in Charleston.

"The team this year is very small so it is hard to talk about them as a team unit since they will not be the ones winning meets," head coach Doug Mynatt said, "but we have individual performances that will be able to score and compete at the highest levels."

And Uni definitely has some athletes who will be noticed at sectionals May 15 at Tolono Unity, and perhaps even at the 1A state meet on May 21 and 23.

Redemption

Tuli Bera (second from left) gets a quick start in the 100 dash at last year's sectional meet. Gargoyle photo by David Porreca (click to enlarge)

One of those main scoring threats is junior Tuli Bera, who missed qualifying for state in the 100 dash last year by a mere thousandth of a second at the Paxton sectional.

She ran the final heat in 13.085 seconds but finished third behind Alyssa Burgard of Monticello, who ran it in 13.084. (At sectionals, track and field athletes can qualify for state by placing in the top two of their respective events or by meeting the IHSA qualifying standard in their events.)

Although missing state by such a small margin was frustrating, Bera enters this season optimistic.

"My goal this year is definitely to make it to state," she said. "With the close finish in sectionals it has only made me more determined to work and reach my goal."

Bera's performance during the recently completed indoor track season made it clear she's one of the top 1A sprinters in the area. She won the 55 dash at the March 14 Charleston Indoor Invitational and qualified for the Illinois Prep Top Times Indoor Classic state meet. (She wasn't able to compete in the latter event).

Along with Bera, another leader is stepping up and showing her ability: Lizzy Warner. The senior has become the sole girl running with the boys long-distance squad and has had success in the 400 dash and the 800 run.

Like Bera, she narrowly missed qualifying for state last year. Warner placed third at sectionals in the 400 with a time of 1:03.00. Jessica Brito of Bismarck-Henning edged her for the runner-up spot, crossing the finish line in 1:02.39.

Warner also made the cut for this year's IPTT Indoor Classic, earning an invitation in the 400, but was unable to compete.

Unlike Bera, Warner has experienced the state meet first hand. She was a member of Uni's 2007 state-qualifying 4x800 relay team. Warner knows how important it is to perform well in practice; she knows that the work athletes do early in the season is what propels them in the big meets at the end of the year.

"It sounds really standard, but when you're running in circles and you start getting tired, it's easy to just slow down," she said. "If we're going to focus more on the individual races then we need to put out all our effort in practice."

Work ethic

Current juniors Linda Ly (left) and Cheyenne Stewart run side by side in the girl's county meet last year. Gargoyle photo by David Porreca (click to enlarge)

Other Uni runners include freshman Sarah Heffley, sophomore Ashley Huddson, juniors Katherine Allen, Rachel Harmon, Linda Ly, and Cheyenne Stewart (currently out with an injury), and senior Deborah Ladd, who all have the ability to help Uni score.

More importantly, they live up to the standards that Mynatt has set for the team.

"Our goal is always improvement, from day one to the last day of the season, and with motivation and a good work ethic this will lead to seasonal bests and then PRs [personal records]," Mynatt said. "Not everyone will have a chance to compete at state, but those who do will have earned it from their hard work this season."

The track may be filled with runners, but on the field there is a lone Uni competitor: Harmon. Last year, Harmon was a key part of the girls 4x200 relay, but along with that this year she has decided to take up the shot put.

"People have always told me that I’m naturally strong, and I've been curious when I watched the field events, so I decided to come out and try it and see how well I could do," she said.

At the Charleston Indoor Invite, she placed 32nd out of 44 Class A throwers, covering a distance of 26 feet, 8 inches on her best attempt.

With this tightly knit group, it will be fun to see how they push each other to be the best possible athletes they can be. They have already proven they can score despite their small numbers, placing 14th out of 35 Class A teams at the Charleston Indoor Invite.

What ultimately matters, according to Mynatt, is motivation, which is the true key to success.

"Every jump, run, and throw needs motivation or you won't be able to perform your best," he said. "To be well equipped for the postseason they have to train well, which comes from the workouts we set up as coaches and how hard they work in practices. They've got to stay healthy, and we have to help keep them healthy. You have to be motivated if you are going to succeed."

Current senior Deborah Ladd competes in the 800 run at last year's Unity Invitational. Gargoyle photo by David Porreca (click to enlarge)