ST. PAUL — A year after she won the Class ‘AA’ state title in the 1600-meter run, it was a much different scene for Albert Lea junior Crissy Monson at Hamline University Saturday.

Monson was in prime position entering her third lap of the race but she suffered a hip injury after being elbowed and landing wrong on her foot. Monson had to gut it out just to finish the race as she even passed a few runners down the stretch on her way to finishing 12th with a time of 5:15.72.

“It’s a lot different feeling from last year to this year. I’ve been in tears both times, I guess,” Monson said. “But for different reasons.”

Monson, who was in third before suffering the injury, said she was exactly where she wanted to be going into her third lap, but she just couldn’t escape the pain of her injury. Monson has run through stress fractures and other pains before, but this was the worst one she had experienced.

“I’ve had pain before that I could get through. This was the first time there was a sudden change in my race,” she said. “I put heart into it and I just couldn’t go. It was super frustrating, but it happens I guess.”

While Monson didn’t get the results she wanted, she earned the respect of the entire field by not bowing out of the race for an injury she had to be treated for after the race.

“That’s my mentality and that’s what I have to do,” Monson said. “I was still giving my heart, and heart can get you a long ways. I’m glad they had a staff that could tell me what was wrong and get me out of my pain.”

Monson took sixth in the 3200-meter run on Friday.