STARKVILLE — Marta Freitas came oh so close to a second-straight year with a disappointing finish.
After falling in the 1,500 meters last year at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the Mississippi State track and field athlete was ready for redemption this season. The heavy favorite, she led early in the 2016 race. But as she neared the finish line, she lifted her arms in celebration a little too early.
MSU coach Houston Franks was unsure if Freitas had won and had to wait for the scoreboard to show him Freitas had won. He received a text message from his wife, Meggan, saying, “Oh my gosh, that was close.” Franks replied, “I’m not sure if I want to hug or choke her.” His wife told him to celebrate with Freitas.
“When I went over and hugged her I said, ‘I’m so proud of you.’ She said, ‘Don’t even say a word, I know. I will never do that again,’ ” Franks said.
The premature celebration didn’t cost Freitas her chance at redemption at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Freitas ran a personal-best time of 4 minutes, 9.53 seconds to hold off Stanford’s Elise Cranny (4:09.54).
Freitas suffered a broken wrist during the fall in 2015 and finished 12th with a time of 4:41.03. She was devastated, but teammate Rhianwedd Price came from a long way back to win with a time of 4:09.56.
Last week, Freitas shook as she talked to reporters after winning the title. She could have been shaking for another reason.
“I just can’t believe it,” Freitas said after the victory. “Last year, I was crying for totally different reasons. I don’t have words because I never thought it would be possible. I’m having the most important day in my collegiate career.”
Even before the champion was announced, the senior was confident she had won. Franks said the crowd was loud and the Lisbon, Portugal, native didn’t hear Cranny coming up from behind her.
Franks said they were both emotional after the victory because of the journey they traveled to get Freitas back.
Shortly after her fall, Franks and Freitas began working for a shot at redemption. Franks had no doubt Freitas would put in all the work necessary.
“Marta’s work capacity, her ability to work is probably second to none,” Franks said. “The amount of work she can do is unbelievable. She recovers really quickly, and a lot of that is because she does every little thing to make that happen. There’s nobody more deserving.”
Freitas won the Southeastern Conference title in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with a time of 4:24. She finished first at the NCAA East Preliminaries in Jacksonville, Florida, with a time of 4:09.80 to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Freitas was coming off an injury in indoors last season, so she had little time to prepare for the NCAAs. With 12 months for Freitas to prepare for a shot at the 2016 title, Franks knew a national title was obtainable. He told coach Steve Dudley that Freitas would win the 1,500 eight times if she had to do it 10 times.
“It’s just a matter of how high you could place,” Franks said. “She led a lot of races wire to wire. She led the whole season wire to wire. She opened the season with the national lead and she improved it as she went on.”
Freitas hopes to represent Portugal in the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August. She still has to qualify.
Disappointment a second time might have stuck with Freitas for a long time. The premature celebration was a culmination of a lot of frustration, but she feels she learned a lesson.
Franks feels the same way.
“She is very, very lucky she learned a very valuable lesson the easy way. Most people in this sport learn that lesson the hard way,” Franks said.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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