It’s a program that’s always a contender to win a National Championship, but for the UW-L women’s track team, the first home meet of the season is as special as that last one.
The Ashton May Invitational honors the former 10-time All-American, who was killed in a car accident on Sept. 16, 2012, at 25 years old. At the time, May was beginning her first year teaching math and social studies at Holmen Middle School and had just started her third season as an assistant coach for the Eagles.
“I can’t think of a better way to kick off our outdoor season than that every year,” UW-L coach Nick Davis, in his ninth season with his team coming off a fourth-place finish at Indoor Nationals, said. “So I look forward to it, and I know our team does as well.”
Davis never got to meet Ashton. But when one of your assistant coaches is Ashton’s sister (Liz May) and another was a teammate and friend (Katie Wegner), Davis didn’t have to meet Ashton to know the kind of person she was.
“Although I’ve never met Ashton, hearing all the stories and knowing the people that — like her family members and friends — I feel like I know her,” Davis said. “And what I can tell you is she was the very best of everything that we want to represent in terms of our track and field program and the culture of our team. Just an amazing, supportive teammate, just a focused and tenacious competitor and just a wonderful human being”.
While the meet is centered on the competition at Roger Harring Stadium, for Davis, the most meaningful moments happen away from the finish line. He says the meet has become an annual homecoming that allows the program to reconnect with the people Ashton loved most.
“It’s always a sad moment to think about that — losing somebody like that, so young,” Davis said. “But it’s also just a great celebration of her life and her time here. And, it’s always an emotion-filled weekend but we’re excited, I’m excited to see Rose, her mom, and just get to see the grandkids running around the track and things like that. But yeah, I can’t think of a better way to kick off our outdoor season than that every year. So, I look forward to it and I know our team does as well”.
“Just an incredible jumper, long triple jumper. She was a sprinter,” Davis said. “Phenomenal athlete, but even better human being and teammate”.
