Mellanee Welty remembers her freshman year at Wichita State as a difficult introduction to college track and field.
"I was terrible," she said.
Viewed from another perspective, Welty's freshman year served as a preview of one of Wichita State's greatest careers. She finished fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference heptathlon with 4,406 points in 1997.
Not so terrible. What came next is even better.
Welty, a 2006 Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Fame inductee, earned NCAA All-American honors in 1999 by finishing 12th in the outdoor championships with 5,384 points.
"After my freshman year, that summer, I worked hard and just kept at it," she said.