Norwayne thrower Bittinger builds toward state

It was spring 1998, and stepping into the circle at the Division III state track and field meet was Norwayne’s Brianne Morlock. Who would ever think that what would happen next would set into motion so much? With a throw of 128 feet, Morlock became the Bobcats’ first-ever state champion as she won the discus event.

Fast forward to this spring, and now it’s Morlock, aka Brianne Indorf, coaching yet another fantastic set of throwers for Norwayne. This spring the Bobcats’ aces in the hole are sophomore Hannah Froelich and senior Haley Bittinger. It continues a strong tradition of throwers over the years, backing up through Allie Morlock, Kasey Keith, Lynnsey Winchell and Kenzie Lendon.

Bittinger, a Bowling Green State University signee, continues to work her way back from a complete medial patellofemoral ligament replacement surgery last June. It was a tear that occurred during indoor track last winter, and she dealt with it the entire spring season last year.

“I didn’t want to miss out on my junior year,” Bittinger said. “It was pretty painful. It definitely came with its challenges. As the year went on, I kind of got used to it, so I kind of forgot about it, but then it had its days where you were like, ‘Yep, it’s still there.’”

After a 3 1/2 hour surgery June 24 and about three to four weeks of rest, Bittinger was given the OK to start physical therapy.

“I was kind of like, ‘Let’s get this going,’ and as soon as I could, I was pushing it to see everything that I could do,” Bittinger said. “They gave me a list of what I couldn’t do. They said, ‘If we give you what you are allowed, that is going to turn into, well, this is pretty close to that, which is this.’ Of course, they were right. I really wanted to get back for track.”

Since then it’s been a process of getting the feel back and trusting the knee. Throughout the spring it’s been a build for Bittinger as she dropped into the 120s for a minute in the discus before surging here at the season’s end.

“It’s still a process,” she said. “I definitely feel better with it, but there are days where I am kind of like, 'OK, it feels kind of iffy,' and some days it feels OK.”

It’s safe to say that at this point in the track season, it’s her opponents who feel kind of iffy and not OK, as Bittinger is finding her stride at the perfect time. Nearing the end of her prep career, there is nothing she wouldn’t love more than to end it with a bang.

The first step toward returning to that ultimate goal was accomplished recently when she swept the shot put (44-1.25) and discus (132-10) at the Wayne County Athletic League Championships. On May 23 she advanced to regionals with a second-place finish in the discus and won the shot put. With an eye toward returning to state, something she has done twice in shot put and once in discus, it’s about continuing that level of consistency of late.

“I’d love to get to state," Bittinger said. "Getting there and being able to compete is definitely a big goal of mine. Winning the WCAL felt good, as I’ve been building up my disc, and I’m starting to get the feel back into things."

“She’s had to kind of rechannel and focus on her technical skills,” Indorf said. “She has done a better job of trusting me and trusting the process. She is so driven that it took her a long time to understand that process.”

As for her rising at the perfect time, Indorf couldn’t be happier.

“She is definitely peaking at the right time,” she said. “She is right where she needs to be, and now we’re trying to stay consistent to get to where she wants. At this point it’s just about being consistent and saving those big throws for state.

“I am extremely proud of her. She has seen the success, seen what it takes, and she knows what she wants. She has had to be patient because of the injury, but she saw how Dillon (Morlock) dealt with his injury and has grown by listening.”

For a senior who has the heart of a lion, never backs down and always competes, it felt good to be back.

“When I first went into surgery, they were like, ‘We don’t know exactly how it’s going to come out and how things are going to turn out,’" Bittinger said. "It was always a 50-50 shot of if I could come back and be the same girl that I was or if it was going to be another process of trying to find it. It’s been a little of both. But it’s been good to be back here my senior year to put it together and nice to get back into sports and doing things. I don’t know how to describe it. It’s fun.”