Injury sidelines Nitek from any chance at repeat titles

By Ginna Young

Senior Trent Nitek was ready to run May 31, at the State track meet for his Cornell-Lake Holcombe team, and looking to repeat as champion in the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash, as well as competing in the 400-meter dash. However, an injury that’s plagued Nitek in the last half of the season, reared its ugly head.

In the preliminaries of the 100 dash, his right hamstring pulled on him, the same thing that happened at a New Auburn meet several weeks before, causing him to miss the conference meet. After an assessment by the onsite athletic trainer, it was determined Nitek could not compete in the remaining two events, eliminating him from contention.

“It was frustrating, to say the least,” said coach Sean Schmidt, “and he felt really good going into the 100 prelim, but sometimes, the body doesn’t respond how we’d like it to and whether it was too much speed, too soon, or just the hamstring overcompensating for the other, it just didn’t work out for Trent.”

Nitek will now turn his focus to healing and strengthening his legs for the fall, when he begins his college football career at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

“It was devastating being at the State meet and knowing his absence changed the entire character of the Division 3 sprint events, after he worked so hard to get back to that point, with the goal to win again,” said Schmidt.