WSU also claimed second-, third- and fourth-place
positions.
Seven events over the course of two grueling days: the heptathlon tests an athlete's strength, stamina and versatility. But Wichita State's Koya Webb '04 says success boils down to one simple factor. "You've got to want it," she says. "If you don't, it's just not worth it."
At the Missouri Valley Conference outdoor track and field championships, the heptathlon competition was very much undecided entering the final event, the 800 meters.
After completion of the 100-meter hurdles, 200-meter dash, shot put, high jump, long jump and javelin throw, no competitor had clinched the title, but matters were certainly clear for Webb.
Cross the finish line first in the 800 and she would be the winner. Already an accomplished senior, Webb nonetheless admitted to facing pre-race jitters.
Because she wanted it. "Oh, I was so nervous because it was my senior year, and my family was there," she says. "I wanted to win so bad."
That desire, plus Webb's obvious athleticism, paid off as she captured the 800 in two minutes, 19.71 seconds, winning the mvc heptathlon championship with 5,190 points. "It took me running as hard as I could," Webb, who hails from Humboldt, Tenn., says of the 800. "I had to run really smart. I didn't go out and kill myself — I just paced it nice and sprinted at the end."
The fast finish was necessary for Webb to outdistance her own teammate, Iveta Grunte, who led the heptathlon after the first day of competition and finished second with 5,181 points. Completing WSU's domination in the event, Jessica Bowser '04 took third and Emily Green placed fourth. "They're all great athletes," Webb says. "I'm proud of all of them."
The team's performance in the heptathlon, which Webb credited to assistant coach Terry VanLaningham, was one of several impressive showings by WSU. The Shocker women won the first outdoor team title in school history, outdistancing favored Southwest Missouri State by 21 points at the meet in May in Normal, Ill. And the men finished with 150 points to win the championship for the third year in a row. Webb says that having both the men and women claim titles was "a dream come true. Oh, my goodness, it was the greatest experience. It was the complete package."
