RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA – Competing in a Division 1 college program far from home has been a challenge for Abigail Nelkie. And though her cross country and track careers have had their ups and downs, Nelkie has seen the benefits even of experiencing those less-than-stellar moments.

Nelkie, a 2001 graduate of Ogemaw Heights who will be a fifth-year senior at North Carolina State this fall, is one of four recipients this year of a $500 Dwayne Rau Memorial scholarship.

“The end of my cross country season this year was one of the toughest emotionally,” she said in her scholarship application. “I disagreed with a decision our coach made in lining up a couple of freshmen instead of using the upperclassmen who were running just as fast.

“Emotionally I was destroyed and I let that eat away at me. Ultimately it reflected in my running and my poorer performances at the end of the season, which led to a poor ACC race and me getting pulled.

“On top of that there was an accident and sickness, so I’m glad they raced because I was not 100 percent. (But) if there is one thing I learned from this is that life is not fair. And sometimes we are not meant to be number one.

“I had to go to nationals and watch my teammates race and cheer them on. Believe me, I’d rather run, ‘cause you can cheer for your teammate but you can’t help them pass the next runner.”

Nelkie’s cross country season actually featured some of her most successful runs, including finishing first overall at the Raleigh Invitational in September out of 115 runners in the 11-team win, which the Wolfpack won. She also led her team with a 16th place finish at the Great American Race, finishing in 17:49, and took 50th at the prenational meet and 23rd in the ACC meet.

After the disappointing finish to the cross country season, Nelkie bounced back to compete in the 3K and 5K in the indoor track season (including a 17th place, 17:52 finish in the ACC championship run). In the outdoor season, she finished seventh at the Raleigh Relays in the 10K with a time of 36:15, finished 14th in the ACC with a time of 37:29 and ran the Duke Twilight 5K in 17:32.81.

Nelkie credits her running career as giving her the opportunity to see what life is like elsewhere.

“Without cross country I would never have left Michigan to come to NCSU,” she said. “Having the opportunity to go to a college out-of-state has been one of the most rewarding and frustrating experiences of my life. I have freedom from my parents, family and, yes, even the West Branch community in general.

“However, with that freedom, I have to make my decisions on my own and good or bad I have to live with the consequences.”

Having the support of teammates in that setting has helped her learn to depend on other people. And being a year from graduation, the Animal Science major (concentrating in biological science nutrition and minoring in agriculture business management) looks forward to life after college – even in the most mundane tasks.

“Yes, college taught me that household tasks aren’t that bad,” she said. “They sure do beat studying.”

While track and field was a good avenue for Nelkie’s college experience, it obviously isn’t always an easy task.

“I’m not going to like and say that running is easy, and that it’s easy for college runners,” she said. We just had a team meeting and our coach told us that he looks for tough athletes. A tough athlete – even without talent – will go farther than an athlete that has talent and no motivation…

“Getting in shape is one of the hardest things to do, but it is necessary to do in this sport in order to have fun leading the pack. (Though) not everyone will lead the pack; it doesn’t matter if you are the first or the last as long as you are pushing the person in front of you. You are helping the team out.

“Whatever you do, do it all the way for the glory of God.”

Scholarship fund boosts educational opportunities for Ogemaw track alumni

Each year, money is raised through the Dwayne Rau Memorial Road Race / Walk that benefits Ogemaw Heights track and field alumni who have moved on to compete in college. This year, four scholarships of $500 will be awarded. The recipients are Mat Lambourn (Alma College), Matt Miller (Spring Arbor University), Abigail Nelkie (North Carolina State University) and Emory Nelkie (Lake Superior State University). Lambourn’s profile ran last week, with more coming in the next couple of issues.

Donations to the scholarship fund are tax deductible. Individuals or businesses interested may contact Margie Taylor (989-345-1088) or Doug Grezeszak (989-345-0901).

This year’s Dwayne Rau Memorial Road Race / Walk will be run Saturday, Aug. 13.