In a sport where every second counts, the timing could not have been worse for Anastasia Kosykh.

It was the day of last year’s district cross country meet and the then-sophomore was hoping to lead the Eastlake girls to another state tournament appearance after pacing the squad for most of the season. She knew something was not right with her back, which had given her problems and progressively worsened throughout the season. But ever the competitor, Kosykh persevered despite the discomfort, until the injury simply became too much to run through.

“It was really tough,” Kosykh said of the injury and unfortunate timing. “We needed everyone there.”

Instead of helping the Wolves challenge for a team spot at state, or at least earning herself a position in the final meet of the year, Kosykh was instead relegated to spectator as the Wolves finished out of contention.

The diagnosis was a stress fracture in her back that put Kosykh in a hard shell brace for four months. An undiagnosed spinal alignment issue exacerbated the problem and caused her to miss the entire 2011 track and field season. She remained connected to the program as much as possible while undergoing rehabilitation, eventually shedding the brace and getting back to her passion.

“In the beginning, it was really hard,” she said. “Once I knew I could run again, that was a big help.”

Kosykh also drew strength from the fact she wasn’t alone in her struggle to get back on the course.

Grace Johnson, a freshman with the program last season, was also injured and missed an opportunity in her first prep season. Overtraining, partly due to only having a year of experience running, led to a heel injury that was a major setback but also led to a unique friendship with Kosykh after both found that the only benefit of being injured was experiencing it together.

“She has been guiding me through it,” Johnson said of her elder teammate. “It’s nice to have someone there.”

After a spring and summer of rehabbing, and mulling over the possibilities for the coming season, both Kosykh and Johnson are back in 2012 and hope to help Eastlake regain its foothold atop the conference.

Head coach Troy Anderson said the first invitational meet of the season was an encouraging sign as the pair took the top two spots and more importantly, displayed the countless hours spent working their bodies back into top form.

“When you’re running at a high level like they are, you’re on that knife’s edge,” Anderson said. “It’s emotionally challenging.”

The next challenge for the pair is helping get the Wolves get back to state, where they won titles in 2008 and 2009 and earned a top-four finish every year from 2006 through 2010.

Seniors Katrina LaTurner and Hannah Heinonen, juniors Devon Bortfield and Nicole Stinnett and sophomores Rachel Zigman and Olivia Palenscar will join Kosykh and Johnson to give Anderson a deep squad that shares the singular focus of a return to the top of Class 4A.

“We’ve got a lot to build on,” Anderson said. “I already see it. They are all just getting faster and the leadership has been instrumental.”

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