WR grad knows 8 is great

Some collegiate track and field performers would be happy just to win or place in one or two events in a conference meet, which certainly would be a commendable performance.

But winning two events and placing in eight overall while leading your team to the conference championship — well that is a feat in a class by itself, a milestone that sets a standard that will be hard to match or beat.

That’s what Lainey Kekic, a sophomore on the Ohio Wesleyan University track and field team from Western Reserve High and Canfield, accomplished in the recent North Coast Athletic Conference Championships held last weekend at OWU in Delaware at the Selby Field and the George Gauthier Track.

Kekic overcame mononucleosis last year and season-long injuries this year to win the 200-meter dash (26.32) and long jump (16-31‚Ñ4 ), and place second in the 100 (13.01), third in the heptathlon (3,858), fifth in the high jump (4-93‚Ñ4 ) and sixth in the triple jump (31-71‚Ñ4 ).

She also was a member of the 1,600 (4:04.40) and 400 (52.30) relay teams that finished second and fourth, respectively.

“It’s not a school record but I am one of the few from Ohio Wesleyan that has done that,” said Kekic of her placing in eight events in her first outdoor NCAC meet after missing last year’s meet as a freshman because of mononucleosis.

She said she loves doing a lot of events in one meet.

“In college, you can do as many [events] as you want. I just do a lot to help the team out any way I can. We are short on sprinters in numbers so I had to do a lot of events to help everybody out,” said Kekic, who wound up winning All-NCAC honors in five events — the 200, long jump, 100, heptathlon and 1,600 relay.

“Those were the most [events] that I placed in in any meet.”

She also said it was the first time that she won two events in one meet, and that her 100 time and heptathlon points were personal bests.

Her strong overall showing helped Ohio Wesleyan to roll to the meet title with 225 points to 134 for runner-up Oberlin. It was the Bishops’ sixth championship and second in three years. They won the 2007 crown before finishing second last year.

Kekic said she has found a way to be able to compete in lot of events in one meet.

“It is demanding and challenging but I was used to it from last year,” said Kekic, who placed in seven events in this year’s NCAC indoor meet after placing in six events in the 2008 indoor meet.

“But I drink a lot of fluids and I usually eat something light during the meet to keep up my strength so I don’t get dehydrated, and I rest whenever I can in between events. I like to do a lot of events. I don’t really get that tired because the workouts during the year prepare you, and I like to compete, so I enjoy doing a lot of this.”

Kekic said she was able to bounce back from Illness and injuries by “just staying healthy. I have been fighting injuries all season.

“I didn’t have a really good indoor meet, and all outdoor season I had problems with my legs, but finally everything came together at the same time. I was finally able to actualize my potential without having handicaps holding me back.”

Her other individual personal career bests are: long jump, 16-9; 200, 26.0; high jump, 5-11‚Ñ2; and triple jump, 33-1.

Ohio Wesleyan’s coach, Kris Boey, in his seventh season, was named NCAC Coach of the Year.

Kekic also plays volleyball for Ohio Wesleyan, and ranked second on the team in kills (178) and kills per game (1.84) last season.

The daughter of Terry and Candy Kekic, Lainey is majoring in psychology with a 3.1 grade-point average.

While at Western Reserve, her track coaches were Marge and Bob Topoleski.

John Kovach writes about college athletes for The Vindicator. Write him at lovach@vindy.com.