CHANUTE – Ashleigh Nicholas came into her freshman year with the goal of keeping Iola girls’ track and field relevant especially the Fillies’ hurdlers.
Prior to this season, the Fillies’ program was able to rely on Emery Driskel. She was a mainstay as point-getter for the team and capped her career with an eighth-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles last year.
Going into this season, the loss of Driskel was a huge hole in the lineup and it seemed unclear if the Fillies would have someone competing on the final weekend of high school track and field in the state.
Nicholas arrived on the scene for the team hoping to pick up the torch from Driskel, with the ultimate goal of her freshman year to make the state meet. On Friday in Chanute, Nicholas accomplished that goal.
“I want to follow in Emery’s footsteps because she was so good,” Nicholas said.
With nine runners entered in the 100-meter hurdles, it meant a preliminary round would be required to get the field down to eight runners.
In the preliminaries, Nicholas was not in much danger of missing the finals, but it was a key to find out where she stood among the field. Nicholas finished fifth in the race.
If that would have been the finals, she would be just on the outside looking in on the state-qualifiers.
Three Paola runners and Jayci Vietti of Chanute finished in front of the Iola freshman and she knew she would have to improve on her 17.82 time.
Nicholas did just that in the finals by running a 17.33 and edging out Paola freshman Amanda Meeks by five one-hundredths of a second to earn her way to state and follow in Driskel’s footsteps.
“Being a freshman and heading to state is a great opportunity,” Nicholas said. “I’m trying to carry it on from Emery, because she also did state her freshman year. I’m honored more than anything.”
One of the biggest congratulations that Nicholas received after her race was from teammate Cassie Delich. Nicholas says she considers the senior to be her biggest mentor.
“The first of the year, I remember hitting a hurdle in practice and she was so caring,” Nicholas said. “She immediately stopped and was like, ‘Are you OK?’ She just flipped out and she has been helping me ever since.”
Even though Delich ran her last race of her career on Friday in Chanute, Delich will be going with her teammate next Friday to continue to support her.
“She helps me mentally,” Nicholas said. “She helps me to not stress myself out.”
