No injuries? Winn shines

John Winn is thankful for his injuries. The sprinter is also grateful he had one full year without them.

Two hamstring pulls, a strain to his quadriceps and a groin injury all hampered Winn's efforts during his first three years at Bryant High School. But the majority of his senior season was injury free, which allowed him to help the Hornets capture the Class 7A state track and field title .

"Before I step to the line, I don't get nervous about how I'm going to perform. I get nervous about pulling a hamstring," Winn said. "That was a battle I just had to overcome."

Winn mastered his fear of injuries on the state's biggest track stages, winning the 400 meters at the Class 7A state meet and the Meet of Champs. He also anchored the Hornets' 1,600 relay team to a Meet of Champions record of 3 minutes, 16.76 seconds.

Winn also turned in some impressive performances outside the track. In the classroom, he earned a 4.13 grade-point average and he scored a 33 on the ACT. For his efforts, Winn has been selected as the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Male Academic/Athlete of the Year.

"John has the combination of talent, work ethic and intelligence," Bryant Coach Steve Oury said. "Those three things make him stand out."

Before his final season with the Hornets, Winn's career had been curbed by various injuries.

He suffered a right hamstring injury during the second track meet of his freshman season. He injured his left hamstring playing basketball during his sophomore year. Winn managed to compete for the majority of his junior season, but he suffered a quad injury during the conference meet that kept him being 100 percent for the state meet.

"We felt like we had a good chance to win state his junior year, but that was before his injury," Oury said. "That left a bitter taste in our mouths, but I think it helped to motivate us for this year."

"I felt like if I could go one year straight without any injuries, I thought I might be able to live up to my full potential," Winn said. "My problem is that I would have these nagging injuries just as I was starting to peak and that would set me back. My junior year was very disappointing because I had that quad injury just before the state meet. I ran in state, but I wasn't 100 percent. That was frustrating."

Winn was saved by his senior season. At the 7A state meet, Winn not only won the 400, but he finished second in the 100 and third in the 200. He was responsible for 26 points.

He said it helped him to be pushed by teammates Steven Murdock and Brenden Young. Murdock won the 200 and finished second to Winn in the 400. Young won both the 110 and 300 hurdles at the state meet.

"John and Steven were two peas in a pod," Oury said. "They were not only both high character kids, but they were friends. There never seemed to be any animosity between them and they always supported one another."

"Steven was my teammate, but he was also my biggest opponent," Winn said. "Steven is a guy who never seems to get tired, at least that's the way it feels when you're training with him."

Injuries may have kept Winn from earning top performances prior to his senior season, but they gave him a look into his future. Winn plans to major in kinesiology and plans to become a physical therapist.

Winn credited Keely Norman of Carson Physical Therapy in Benton with not only helping him recover, but for getting him interested in the field.

"She went above and beyond the call of duty," Winn said. "There was one time before the state meet of my junior year, I pulled a quad at the conference meet and four days before the state meet, I was limping. We called her and she managed to squeeze me in all three days so I could get treatment."

Winn will continue his track career at the University of Arkansas. His plan is to specialize in the 400, but he said he may also compete in the 200.

"I ran an indoor meet in Fayetteville, and they got a good look at me," said Winn, who has received multiple academic scholarships. "They asked me to walk on, and I was very excited they wanted me. I could have looked at some other colleges, but once Arkansas wants you, nothing else is nearly as exciting."

Sports on 07/26/2015