AMHERST — Moriah Luetjen hadn’t competed in an outdoor track event since her freshman year, when she appeared in the New Balance Nationals – winning the Freshman Girls 400-meter final.

Coming into this spring as a junior at Amherst Regional, as much as she wanted to pick up right where she left off two seasons ago, she knew that wasn’t a realistic expectation. Yet after working tirelessly throughout the early and middle portions of the spring, Luetjen began to peak right before the biggest meets of the season.

Luetjen dominated en route to wins in both the 200 (24.95) and the 800 (2:25.16) at the Western Massachusetts Division 1 Outdoor Track & Field Championships without even competing in her best event – the 400. She followed that up with a second-place finish in the 200 and first-place mark in the 400 at the MIAA Division 4 Championships.

“The beginning of the season, I didn’t have a lot of confidence because I didn’t know how I would feel,” Luetjen said. “Around midseason, still not getting the times that I was used to getting was difficult. Then at states is when I think I really started to take off. I got back to where I wanted to be.”

And after taking fourth in the 400 at the New England Championships (where she ran a time of 55.94, the fastest among all Massachusetts competitors), she helped the Hurricanes’ 4x400 relay team of Ella Austin, Ruby Austin and Ololara Baptiste take fifth in a time of 4:06.41 – again the fastest out of all participating Massachusetts relay teams.

That led her to Eugene, Ore., once again returning to Nationals and the biggest stage in high school track.

There Luetjen took 19th out of 44 runners in the 400, running a time of 56.24 seconds to finish as one of the nation’s top 20 in the event. She also took part in three relays as well as the 200, and with the help of Baptiste, Kora Brissett and Ruby Austin, Amherst finished eighth in the country in the 4x200.

Luetjen’s bounce back from injury led to her having a decorated junior season, which has earned her the 2024 Daily Hampshire Gazette Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year award.

“I’m proud of the work that I was able to put in and get to where I was,” Luetjen said. “I definitely thrived near the end of the season… It feels really good to get an award like this, and it wasn’t something I was expecting at all. I feel very honored to have gotten to this point. I didn’t even think I would be a thought when it comes to getting this award because of my injury, but getting this is a great feeling.”

While dealing with her injuries – a stress fracture in her foot and nerve pain in the knee – wasn’t ideal, Luetjen actually found it easier on her mind when competing this spring.

In the past, her expectations would be so high that it almost put too much pressure on her. But this season, because she truly didn’t know what to expect, Luetjen simply went out and ran with no thoughts or presumptions.

That approach helped her all year long, even when she finally felt healthy.

“I’ve improved my mindset, which is really important, and I feel a lot more confident in my abilities,” Luetjen said.

Her confidence vaulted her to nationals, this time competing in the championship flights. Once she arrived at famed Hayward Field at the University of Oregon, it was all about taking in the moment.

Yes, the fierce competitor in Luetjen wanted to impress in front of the best high school athletes in the country, but being able to share the track with elite athletes made the experience what it was.

“It hasn’t really set in for me,” Luetjen said. “Just to have the opportunity to go so far, and travel all the way to Oregon was an unforgettable experience. Even when I wasn’t running, watching all these athletes crush their times and what not – it was awesome. I had no idea where I was gonna be (health-wise), so I’m really proud I got to that point.”

Luetjen and her beloved relay team didn’t leave Oregon without some hardware, either. She joined Baptiste, Ella Austin and Kora Brissett to win the sprint medley relay in the Emerging Elite Division.

She calls those who participate on the relay teams with her some of her closest friends, so winning a title with them was the perfect cherry on top to an unforgettable season.

“Me and those girls are really, really close, and I’m lucky to have such a close connection with my team,” Luetjen said. “We were all going into it with a, ‘We’re going to do it, and we’re going to have fun doing it,’ mindset. It was really exhilarating to actually place well.”

With still a year left at Amherst, Luetjen is coming back for more in 2025 – this time fully healthy and ready to crush her personal best times.