Waddington set for redemption

"I was thrilled," Waddington said. "I don't think people know how much I really wanted this,"

She felt the thrill of accomplishment Saturday, but only a year ago she felt the chill of defeat.

In the same race a year ago, she placed 17th (top 16 qualify for the state meet) and missed the final spot by three seconds in a time of 19:24.

Waddington not only dropped 30 seconds off her time to accomplish the feat, but she accomplished it in arguably the toughest region in the state.

The slowest qualifying time to qualify for state at the Tiffin region was 19:09, a time that typically draws Division 1 scholarship offers.

"It was definitely a fast race, and this is a big deal," Sandusky head coach Jenny Etchill added.

Despite the disappointment in 2007, the senior is no rookie when it comes to running in state competitions.

Last spring in track she placed 11th at state in the 1600, and she was a state qualifier in cross country as a sophomore.

"She knows what it takes because she has been there before," Etchill said.

Waddington's regional time would place her on the All-Ohio list in last year's competition and with the swagger she has shown all season, it is a realistic possibility she will be on this year's list.

No matter how she finishes at the state meet, she will have four years of competing at the college level to look forward to.

Currently, she has the interest of Ohio, Miami of Ohio, University of Charleston, Dayton and Cincinnati.

"Every coach wants an athlete like her," Etchill said. "She's hammered the workouts all season and deserves this."