McCutcheon's Ella Bills determined to make senior season count
LAFAYETTE — Ella Bills convinced herself she was the fastest girl at Tuesday's City/County meet.
That was before she knew Harrison senior Jaylie Lohmeyer entered the 100 meters.
Lohmeyer may be the fastest 200 and 400 runner around, but the 100 is Bills' event.
Nothing was going to alter Bills' mindset, even if her 100 time was only the fourth fastest during preliminaries.
"I came in confident and told myself you are the fastest girl here," Bills said. "Show everybody you are the fastest girl here.
"Usually (Lohmeyer) is in the 200 and 400. I saw she was in the 100 and I said, more competition for me. I didn’t let that stop my mindset from I am winning this race."
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It was close, but Bills edged Lohmeyer by a hundredth of a second and Lafayette Jeff's Mykah Killebrew by two hundredths of a second to win the race in 12.74 seconds.
"Huge deal," McCutcheon girls track coach Jessica Bell said. "She was walking down to get her sweatshirt and sweatpants back on and she heard her name and turned around with the biggest look of shock on her face."
The victory in the 100 meters, coupled with her win in the high jump and third-place finish in the 200 meters — won by Lohmeyer — at Scheumann Stadium on an uncharacteristically cold May night has Bills more confident than ever as her senior season with the Mavericks winds down.
Knowing this is her final go in high school track, Bills created a motto.
M.I.C.
Make it count.
"There has been a huge growth with Ella from her junior year to her senior year," Bell said. "She decided this year is it for her. She lost her sophomore year with COVID and she decided every moment she was going to make it count and that became our slogan for the year. It came form Ella. Every moment, every practice, make it count towards something because you don’t know when it is going to be the end of it.
"She adopted that belief. Every meet, she sees herself getting stronger. She is getting more confident and her running is getting better. For her, it is all just believing in herself knowing she can compete with the top athletes here."
Bills was a regional qualifier last season in two events: high jump and as the anchor of McCutcheon's 400 relay team.
She missed out by one spot of advancing out of the sectional in the 100 meters, an event she believes she can get to state in as a senior.
Tuesday's win only further solidified that belief.
"I have been putting my head down at practice every day and just been working, working, working," Bills said. "I told all my teammates I wanted this so bad. I knew if I ran in this race with confidence that I was going to win it.
"Obviously the goal is always go to state and place at state. Keep chopping down that PR and getting faster every day."
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: McCutcheon's Ella Bills determined to make senior season count
