|
DES MOINES, Iowa -- While the rest of the BYU women's track team gathered in St. George on Saturday to attend the funeral service of freshman teammate Chelsi Petersen, senior Carlee Clark-Platt was competing in her final collegiate race at the 2008 NCAA National Track and Field Championships. Running in memory of her teammate, Clark-Platt turned in a seventh-place finish in the women's 800-meter race to earn All-America honors with a time of 2:06.61.
"I have been thinking about her throughout the day," Clark-Platt said. "If I wasn't here, I would have been there (in St. George) with my teammates. I just wanted to go out there today and run in memory of Chelsi. I tried to do what I could to honor her."
The race marked the end of a long and distinguished collegiate career for Clark-Platt, who earned her first-ever outdoor All-America citation with the seventh-place finish.
"I'm so glad it ended this way," Clark-Platt said. "So many college athletes never have the chance to make it to the national championships. This has been my goal and I'm just so thankful it ended this way."
Clark-Platt started from lane two and ran on the rail throughout the race. Running in fourth place on the inside through 400 meters, the leaders made a move with 300 meters remaining. As the field started to separate, Clark-Platt held on with a solid pace through the final 100. Clark-Platt and Tennessee's Phoebe Wright battled down the home stretch with Wright edging Clark-Platt at the finish line by .05 of a second.
"With 300 meters to go, the pace picked up," Clark-Platt said. "I was ready to go with them, but my body wasn't as willing. When I knew I wasn't going to be able to stay with them, I just tried to maintain a strong finish and do my best."
With her collegiate career now in the books, Clark-Platt will now focus her attention on the Olympic Trials later this month in Eugene, Ore. Clark-Platt ranks among the top 25 800m runners in the country. |
