By Ken Hansard
Not every high school runner gets to go to the KU Relays. It is a prestigious event that pits the very best runners from Kansas and its surrounding states against one another. That’s why Derby High senior runner Eilyannis Monge is so excited to be competing there, “It’s a two-day meet, and we stay at a hotel. I like it because there’s a lot of competition, and we also get to see college kids run. It’s such a fun meet.”
Monge and several of her Panthers’ teammates will be going to run the 4 x100 relay and the 4 x 400. They set Derby school records in both events. They were also state qualifiers and medalists in each. Monge, additionally, was an individual state qualifier in the 400-meter dash.
When she reflects on her past, Monge is proud of what she and her teammates were able to accomplish last spring. In addition to the previously mentioned accolades, the Panthers also won their first ever Regional title on the girls’ side. But she also muses that those accomplishments almost didn’t happen, as Covid nearly derailed her career as a runner, “My family was a swimmer family, but I didn’t like it, so I tried track and fell in love. I have a love-hate relationship with track. I quit for two years during Covid – when I was in the 7th and 8th grade. It felt nice not having to work so hard, not having to worry about practice, and just being lazy at home. Until I started missing it…”
Fast forward to now. Monge is a senior with her love of the sport restored, and now she is ready to accept her place as a leader and mentor for her younger teammates, “I just want to help my teammates, improve my times, and have fun. I need to enjoy everything, so I don’t regret anything. I see my role as a trustworthy and helpful teammate.”
Every athlete faces challenges, but the very best confront those issues head on and try to turn weakness into strength, “I’ve worked on having faith in myself – to stop doubting myself and have a strong mentality. I try to remember that everyone is human and not every day is a good day, whether at practice or at a meet, and that’s okay. The thing that makes you stronger is to shake off those days and come back stronger the next day. One day, your hard days will pay off.”
For Eilyannis, that notion has already been proven true, both in her accomplishments last spring and in life, as she will turn her hard work into a scholarship opportunity to further her athletic and educational pursuits. Eilyannis has signed with Mid-America Nazarene to continue her running career. She plans to study Criminal Justice.
