It has been a roller-coaster year for the Grassfield senior. The good news though is that VA's premier sprinter is back on track and could be stronger than ever.
Check out Lauryn Ghee's Athlete Profile
Lauryn ended last year on one of the highest of highs. She just had completed her second triple crown and went away from her junior year with both the 500 and 200 state records. Her 22.97 200 was also one of the fastest in history.
Though he junior campaign went exactly how she had planned and saw her coming home with an insane six state titles, her senior campaign fell flat to her standards. Late in the fall there were rumors of a lingering injury for Ghee but we never heard anything official. She opened strong but as was usual didn't show all her power.
The VA Showcase was her first big meet and though she didn't perform poorly, it was clear she was not in her best form. That being said, even at 75% she is a monster.
Then came states. All indications and history told us to expect that killer instinct and a lot of wins for the Florida commit. Though the instinct was there, after the 55m dash prelims where she qualified as the 12th runner we knew something wasn't right.
The next day was rough for Lauryn as she finished 8th, 2nd, and 2nd in events that she dominated the past two years. Though she surely didn't want to, she pulled out of all events at nationals and began the rebuild.
Given we have not seen her full strength yet, it is clear that Lauryn is on the up & up. This past weekend at the CNU Captains Classic she ran a 55 in the open 400 and just a few hours later came back with a 55 second split int he 4x400. Her and her teammates are solely focused on relays for the month of April.
This means Dogwood could be a big meet for Lauryn as she will need those state qualifying marks in both the 100 and 200 to attempt to defend that triple crown. She already has the 400 standard.
Even if you are racing her and trying to win a state title, it is a very good thing for our entire state to know Lauryn is rebuilding and almost back to full strength.
