| Melanie Madsen when she ran for Carbon High in 2001. |
When Melanie Madsen was running cross country and track for Carbon High School, she often dominated opponents despite her small stature. Upon graduation she headed off to college and she found her home in the tropical setting of Hawaii.
Running for BYU-Hawaii, she has consistently been one of the top finishers for the Lady Seasiders. At an invitational held at the campus in Hawaii on Sept. 25 the womens team beat up the competition with Madsen putting in a time of 20:35.
BYU-Hawaii is a Division II school that participates in the Pacific West Athletic Conference, which includes Chaminade University, Hawaii Pacific University, Montana State at Billings, Western New Mexico University and University of Hawaii at Hilo.
This past weekend the Lady Seasiders won the conference championship in cold and wet weather in Billings, Mont. While not named to the all conference team after the meet, Madsen was still a key element in her team winning the championship with a 20:11 time and taking 16th place in the meet.
Now the team goes onto a regional meet and if successful there will go on to nationals.