COLUMBUS — The past couple of days have been a whirlwind for Lucy Rush.
Mount Vernon’s distance ace, Rush capped an eventful weekend with a fifth-place finish in the 1,600-meter run on the final day of the Division II state meet Sunday at Ohio State’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
Rush finished in a personal-best 4 minutes, 56.53 seconds, one of eight runners to run a sub-five minute mile.
Less than 24 hours earlier, Rush placed second in the 3,200 in a PR 10:37.40. That race was supposed to go off Saturday at 4:25 p.m., but didn’t begin until 8:40 p.m. after a lengthy weather delay.
“It definitely threw off my warm-up,” Rush said. “At the same time, it kind of took the pressure off because it was like nothing was going according to plan so all you can do is your best.
“I was almost warmed up when they delayed it and then we sat for four hours. It threw us off, but part of racing is being adaptable.”
Rush won a Lexington regional title in the 3,200, but finished fifth in the 1,600 in 5:05.11.
“I had a great race in the 3,200 (at Lexington), but I was just OK in the 1,600,” Rush said. “I tried to have a goldfish memory because every race is a new chance.”
Sunday capped a sensational senior season for Rush. She placed sixth at the Division II state cross country meet in the fall and followed it up with a pair of podium finishes at the state track meet.
She graduates the the program’s record holder in cross country, the 1,600 and the 3,200.
“Before me, there was a girl named Sarah Baker who had all of the school records and I remember thinking as a freshman there is no way,” Rush said. “It has been such a cool journey.
“I mean, it’s cool to have (the records) for a little while, but I can’t wait to see who breaks them next.”
Jackets in Action
Mount Vernon’s Calvin Heithaus placed ninth in the 1,600 in 4:20.12.
Pole vaulter Kennedy Howard injured her ankle on her first attempt. She continued to compete, but didn’t clear her opening height.