Erin Alewine's track and field career has come full circle - and perhaps just in the nick of time.
Alewine, who first rose to prominence during her years with the Jefferson City Lady Jays, has come back to the Capital City as the Central Missouri Jennies compete in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Outdoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Lincoln University.
Now one of the nation's elite Division II performers in the pentathlon, the senior said it might be a good things there's just two competitions - this one and Division II nationals - left in her career.
"I have a chronic back injury," she said. "They don't really know what it is, but I get sacroiliac injections, a steroid-type injection, to just keep me moving. I did gymnastics for 14 years ... and so my body is wearing down."
"I don't want to say it, but I'm going to say it - I'm getting old," she added with a laugh. "Not age-wise, but joint-wise. I started seeing a chiropractor and getting those shots and I feel great. Now, my body is not responding as well as I would like, but overall I'm very happy with it."
The two-time defending national champion in the indoor pentathlon finished second in the heptathlon at outdoor nationals last year. After the first four events of the heptathlon Friday, Alewine wraps up the event with the final three today.
"It's nice for me to be back home," she said. "It's very hard with a lot of our meets being very far away. While I have a very great support system, my extended family and friends were able to come watch me (Friday). To be able to start and finish your career in the same place is an awesome experience."
Her teammate, Madison Smith, leads the event with 3,240 points. Lincoln's Shakiesha Miller is in second with 3,041 and Alewine is close behind at 2,986.
"It's my second-to-last time I'm ever going to compete, so regardless of how I'm doing point-wise or score-wise or event-wise, I'm having fun," she said. "I'm enjoying myself and my teammates are doing wonderful, so that's what's important to me as a senior."
The Jennies are looking to continue their league dominance, as they have won the heptathlon nine of the last 10 years.
"We've been very strong (in the event)," Alewine said, as Central Missouri has four of the 19 entries in the event. "It's awesome to see (someone else near the top). Not that your shoes are being filled, per se, but it's awesome you can see a continuation of the program, because that's what we strive for. You pass the torch, and I feel that's what we doing right now."
And in an event that can be very much singular in focus, the Jennies have turned it into a team sport.
"It's so much easier to relax and get to enjoy each other and watch each other," she said. "I think staying positive is helping us 100 percent. To see how much my teammates have improved during this season is awesome for me, because that means next year they're going to be even better."
In Friday's events, Alewine finished sixth in the 100-meter hurdles (15.12), tied for third in the high jump (5-5), came in third in the shot put (34-10 1/4) and was sixth in the 200-meter dash (26.02).
Up today are the long jump, javelin and 800-meter run.
"I want to see improvement," she said. "I am a very good long-jumper and normally a very strong 800 runner, so I would just like to come out here and compete. I'm going to leave it all on the track, you have to be a competitor at this point.
"It's anyone's game at this point, it really is. It's very close. Regardless, I'm looking for my teammate and I to go 1-2. That's the goal. It doesn't matter who's No. 1, me or her, I would just like to see that.
III
Portions of the heptathlon and the men's decathlon were the only events contested Friday in the Championships at Dwight T. Reed Stadium.
Miller was one of two competitors from the host school in the heptathlon, joining teammate Daniele Newman.
Miller started strong, taking second in the 100 hurdles (14.06) before tying for 10th in the high jump (5- 1/4), taking second in the shot put (36-9 1/2) and placing fifth in the 200 (25.89).
Newman, meanwhile, was 12th in the 100 hurdles (16.03), tied for eighth in the high jump (5-1 1/4), was ninth in the shot put (30-9 3/4) and was 12th in the 200 (26.82). She has a total of 2,617 points.
In the pentathlon, Nebraska Kearney's Dillon Schrodt leads with 3,764 points. Daniel McCarty (Blair Oaks High School) of the University of Central Missouri is in sixth with 3,546 points. He was 10th in the 100-meter dash (11.70), ninth in the long jump (21-0), third in the shot put (42-2 1/4), sixth in the 400-meter dash and tied for third in the high jump (6-4).
The final five events of the decathlon are set for today, as well as eight finals in regular field events. The long jump, discus, pole vault and javelin will be held for both the men and women.
Action starts at 10 a.m. today, with the last event to start at 7:40 p.m.