Women's Track and Field: Kaneland grad Nicole Sreenan coping with a comeback story without an ending

Nicole Sreenan was in the midst of a triumphant comeback on the track this spring.

It's a story that won't have a proper ending.

Sreenan, a former state champion at Kaneland now a junior at Grand Valley State in Michigan, returned from a broken foot to become one of the best sprinters in Division II track.

She was ranked No. 1 in the 400-meter dash, and top four in two other events for a Grand Valley team ranked No. 1 in the country going into the Division II Indoor Track and Field national championships scheduled for March 13-14 in Birmingham.

That all ended March 12, when the NCAA canceled all remaining winter and spring championships due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Sreenan, already in Birmingham at the time, saw the news flash across her phone as she was driving back from practice with her coach and teammates.

"I guess I was kind of stunned," Sreenan said. "Obviously, there was a part of me that didn't want to believe it, although deep down we knew it was a possibility."

It's left Sreenan feeling confused, adrift, and back home, at least for this week, in Elburn with her family.

It is not the break Sreenan planned, after coming back from a difficult break of a different kind.

Sreenan, a 10-time state medalist at Kaneland and member of the 2016 Class 2A 1,600-meter relay state champion, was diagnosed with a broken left foot in January 2019, after already qualifying for indoor nationals. She competed in just three indoor meets, including nationals, while doing extensive cross training work on the bike and in the pool. Sreenan finished 11th in the 400 in the Outdoor National Championships, but looked forward to 2020 indoor season after a 2019 marred by injury.

Indeed, Sreenan found her stride.

She broke school records this year in the 60, 200 and twice in the 400, and won indoor Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships in the 60, 200 and 1,600 relay, setting a school record of 7.41 seconds in the 60.

"I felt like I was on the path to a national championship," Sreenan said. "I'm proud of everything I have done this season. My coach knows that I wanted to cap it off with an individual title, and help my team win a team title."

Sreenan and the team had arrived in Birmingham for nationals on March 10, and had practiced there on March 11 and 12. It was mentioned on March 11 that the NCAA was leaning toward allowing no family at the meet, besides a pass list.

Fortunately, Sreenan was able to call her parents right before they were to leave for Birmingham. Still, Sreenan was left confused about a canceled meet that she was already at.

"I know it sucks for Division I schools because they didn't get to leave, but we had already left," Sreenan said.

The team got a 5 a.m. flight out the next morning, and had to sit in the Philadelphia airport for two hours before a connecting flight back to Grand Rapids. She sat with two of her favorite teammates, seniors who only had one year of eligibility left.

The NCAA announced that it was giving spring sports athletes a year back, but Sreenan said that's easier said than done.

"When you take away something unexpectedly, it's hard to plan," Sreenan said. "Seniors, they've applied for jobs, it's hard to ask them to change all that up."

As for Sreenan, her immediate plan is to stay in Elburn with her dog for a week, then go back to Grand Valley where she rents an off-campus apartment. Everything is closed on campus, and – further isolating her – Sreenan cannot have contact with her coach unless it's an extreme circumstance. She has to sign up for next school year's classes next week, so she has to weigh whether she'll sign up like she's getting one additional year of eligibility.

Track and playing with her dog is how Sreenan copes with stress, so she's been outside quite a bit with him.

"Talking to my mom, I was like 'I can't do anything,'" Sreenan said. "We all just have to sit here and think about the fact that they took our season away. For a lot of people, the goal for their collegiate career is to qualify for nationals. It's a big deal."