When Syracuse hurdler Keisha Townsend ran her first college race two weeks ago, she almost walked off the track in disappointment. Townsend, a sophomore from California, missed all of last season due to a groin injury, which can explain her first-race anxiety.

Her inexperience on the track showed when she finished with a time of 11 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles Jan. 14 at the Penn State Open.

Townsend blamed her nerves for her poor performance at Penn State. A fear of falling caused her to take five steps in between each hurdle as opposed to her usual three-step cadence. It slowed her down and threw off her rhythm.

‘I was having nightmares about it for three nights just thinking I was going to fall,’ Townsend said.

During the race, she paused in her mind. While she didn’t fall, she contemplated quitting the race and walking off the track.

She decided not to. Her persistence paid off.

This past weekend, Townsend came back to win the 60-meter hurdles in the Upstate Challenge in Cornell with a personal best time of 9.08 seconds.

Her win helped lead the women’s team to a third-place finish at Cornell, while the men finished fourth.

In a sport where confidence is essential, a fear of falling can derail a runner’s career. So coming back from her tough first race was an important and difficult task. To overcome her fears the sophomore needed support from her friends and coaches, and she had to think back to her senior year of high school when she began running hurdles.

‘I had confidence and people around me that said they knew I could do it,’ Townsend said.

Townsend worked hard in practice all week to put the Penn State race behind her. By the time the Orange went to Cornell, she was prepared to excel.

Assistant coach Dave Hegland said the team knew Townsend’s first race was not an indicator of things to come. They knew what she was capable of and were not surprised by her success in Cornell.

‘The first week she just had a little mental hiccup,’ Hegland said. ‘What she did this past race is what we expect from her.’

Hegland said the sophomore has a good chance of qualifying for the Big East Championships in February, and still has room to improve.

Since she did not compete last year, Townsend has four years of eligibility remaining and she wants to build on her success.

‘I don’t have any more nightmares,’ Townsend said. ‘In fact, I’m really excited for my next competition.

‘I really want to get better each race, even if it’s not in time – just in form.’

Published on January 23, 2006 at 12:00 pm