'A stoic competitor': Freshman Madelyn Begert rewriting Northwest track and field records
Madelyn Begert's success has been seamless from one season to another.
The Northwest freshman kicked off her high school athletic career with a 12th-place finish in Division II at the OHSAA State Cross Country Championships. In her first, state wrestling tournament, she finished fifth at 110 pounds.
What lies ahead for Begert in the final weeks of her first track and field season? No one will be surprised if she makes another state run.
Begert became a two-time champion at last week's PAC-7 meet. She won the 800 meters in 2:19.82 and the 1,600 in 5:15.06. The 800 time broke her previous Northwest record by four seconds.
Begert did all of that on a day she wasn't feeling her best.
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"I was completely exhausted," Begert said. "My throat was really dry. I looked at the (800) time and I'm like 'OK, I did pretty good. Then my coach said 'Hey, you broke your record again.'
"It's pretty awesome. I really wanted to get my mile. When it came to the 800, I really wanted to do good. I always look at the times and I'm like 'OK, I can stick with this person.'"
Begert went into the week ranked No. 2 overall in Stark County in the 800 and No. 4 in the 1,600. She likely will continue topping her 800 school record over the next three-plus seasons. Northwest's 25-year-old 1,600 record of 5:11.92 held by Kelli Litten is within reach.
Northwest head coach Bryan Jones calls Begert a stoic competitor.
"You cannot read her, but those of us who know her know how relentless she is," Jones said. "She is such a competitor. That's one of the intangibles. She is also committed as a freshman. She does everything we ask her to do ... and more. She's quiet. She soaks everything in. If it's a question, it's a thoughtful question.
"She's a great kid to coach. It's going to be a lot of fun over the next four years."
Begert has wrestled since second grade. A desire to stay in shape for wrestling season led her to try cross country in seventh grade.
"I'm really happy I stuck with cross country," Begert said. "I feel like I kind of exceeded my expectations. Having track season after wrestling season also helps. In wrestling, you get a lot of conditioning and endurance. Then you go into track season and it's like 'OK, you're ready to go.'"
The success Begert had at the PAC-7 meet puts her on a good track going into the postseason. Northwest will compete in this week's district meet at Orrville.
"I really want to qualify to the state meet, but first we have districts and regionals to get to," Begert said. "I'm just really trying to push it these next couple of weeks and train hard so I make sure I get my place."
Reach Mike at mike.popovich@cantonrep.com
On Twitter: @mpopovichREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Northwest's Madelyn Begert heading into track postseason with momentum
