Wright's Last Season Shines Brightest

AMES, Iowa ? In athletics, what you accomplish may not be as important as when you accomplish it. Just ask Iowa State sprinter Lashawn Wright. The Cyclone senior placed among the top 12 finishers at the NCAA West Regional last weekend, running a 200-meter personal best 23.63 seconds to earn a trip to the NCAA national meet next week in Eugene, Ore.

"Honestly I'm still in a little bit of shock that I was able to make the NCAA Championship," Wright said. "To be able to go (to the NCAA meet) my senior year is incredible. I'm going to go out there and try to enjoy it, and run as fast as I can to try and make the final."

Wright, who graduated last month with a bachelor's degree in communications, just missed qualifying for the finals of the Big 12 Championships in the 100- and 200-meter dashes.

“Lashawn had to run a personal best to make the national field,” Iowa State sprints coach Nate Wiens said. “For an athlete who never qualified for a Big 12 final to put together a great weekend like Lashawn did comes down to not wanting her career to end yet.”

Wright gives credit to Wiens for advancing her performance.

"Being able to have Coach Wiens there has helped my focus on my race and events; focusing on my form, turnover and my speed," Wright said. "I've never had my track season continue this far into the summer. I think trying to keep myself healthy and I am really excited to compete at the NCAA Championships."

Wiens has worked to athletically fine tune Wright's technique.

“We worked to make Lashawn a more efficient runner,” Wiens said. “It took a lot of drilling, video analysis and one-on-one work. It really is satisfying as a coach to see her do well.”

Wright, a native of Mesquite, Texas, will compete in the semifinals of the 200 meters June 10 at 6:30 p.m. CDT.