DeVenney's back in action

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ERIE - After spending the last month or so running in a pool, Nathan DeVenney was glad to show what he's got on grass. The Bureau Valley sophomore finished fifth at the Three Rivers Conference meet Tuesday, helping the Storm to their second straight league title. "I told my team that was the happiest fifth place I've ever gotten in my life," DeVenney said. "I mean it. I've been working to try to get a conference trophy for us, and we achieved it today. It was pretty exciting." DeVenney is no stranger to success. A year ago, he finished 33rd at the Class A state cross country meet with a time of 16 minutes, 1 second. That time was bettered by just two other freshmen - Newman's Jake Trancoso (16th in 15:38) and Rockford Christian's Justin Rehfeldt (17th in 15:39). "I was really looking forward to the next year already," DeVenney said. DeVenney started on the Bureau Valley fresh-soph boys basketball team in the winter. In the spring, he finished eighth at state in the indoor mile. He flirted with qualifying outdoors in the 1,600, but missed by 3 seconds. In the summer, he attended basketball camps and finished second in a 5K race in Walnut. Then things started to go downhill. In July, his back began to ache. Pain began to shoot down his legs. A well-rounded athlete who was used to going and going, DeVenney was told by doctors to shut it down for a while. "It was really frustrating," DeVenney said, "but I had to force myself to be patient." In August, doctors properly diagnosed what was wrong. He had a bulging disc in his back. Staying off his feet as much as possible was the cure. While teammates pounded out miles in preparation, DeVenney fumed. Then he swam. Athletes in his position, to stay in shape, may use a device called an AquaJogger. It allows him to float in a pool and run in place, without putting the wear and tear on the body. He used the AquaJogger in his family's backyard pool, as well as at a facility in Princeton. He admitted to drawing some puzzled stares. "It's kind of awkward at first, because you just feel weird splashing around in the water," DeVenney said. "I got used to it. I knew what I had to do for the team. No matter how weird I felt, I thought I owed it to them." "He had a heck of a tan from all the swimming," BV coach Dale Donner said with a laugh. DeVenney took a cortisone shot Sept. 24, and completed a workout on Monday without pain, clearing the way to run in the TRAC-8 meet. DeVenney ran 17:06 Tuesday, a full minute off his state meet form from a year ago. More importantly, he had the chance to compete. "It was pretty weird without him, because we've been running since middle school," Trancoso said. "It's good to see him back. It sparks their team, and it gives us more competition as well."