WILLARD

Alysun Daniel almost missed the track and field season.

The Willard junior is glad she didn't.

Daniel started her postseason run during the Northern Ohio League tournament and concluded it with a third-place finish in the Division II high jump at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus.

Daniel went a personal-best 5 feet, 4 inches at state, which tied Cambridge's Katie Davis, Jefferson Area's Lizzy Ziemski and Tallmadge's Amanda Bennett.

The criteria for determining placement was misses at the previous height.

Davis was declared the winner, followed by Ziemski, Daniel and Bennett.

For her effort, Daniel was selected as the Fandy.com Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year.

"I'm very happy,'' Daniel said. "That (5-4) was my goal for the season. I had never gotten it before. Toward the end of the season, I started to take care of myself better and things started to fall for me.''

Daniel tried for 5-5, but didn't reach that height.

"I'm always striving to be better,'' she said. "That was mind-boggling being at state. The day at state my mind was focused and it all came together.''

Daniel's story, however, can be traced back to last season.

Battling injuries, she was diagnosed with a stress fracture and spent last summer on crutches, going through physical therapy.

Daniel, a three-sport athlete, made it through volleyball unscathed, but then basketball started.

"Toward the end of the season it bothered me,'' she said. "I tried to take care of it early in basketball.''

Daniel had also planned on playing basketball with an AAU team in the spring.

"Basketball is my dominant sport,'' she said. "I would have had to quit track.''

Daniel, who has been high jumping since seventh grade, attributes part of her late-season run -- which included a first at the league tournament with a 5-0, third at district with a 5-1 and second at regional at 5-3 -- to concentrating on the high jump.

"Those are the bigger meets,'' she said. "You want to succeed and do well.''

Willard coach John Buss was pleased with Daniel's season.

"She was real close to winning regional,'' he said. "It was a real solid field. Being down at state is more than you're used to. She didn't seem to look flustered or look nervous.

"She's one of our top 200 and 400 runners and helps on relays. She's pretty strong and fairly aggressive,'' the coach added. "She's been pretty consistent, but still has room to improve. She had three good jumps at 5-5. The key to our sport is getting the right feel and right focus at the end of the year.''

Others athletes considered for the award were Plymouth's Jerrica Stephens and Edison's Cami Shine.