NASHVILLE &8212; Candance Frye may not have put together the performance she hoped for, but it was still good enough to send her to the national USA Track & Field championships in Baltimore, Md. later this month.

Frye, an incoming senior at Natchez High, traveled to Nashville over the weekend to compete in the USATF regionals in the 100- and 400-meter hurdles.

Frye&8217;s coach, Henry &8220;Doc&8221; Woods, said the big stage seemed to bother his star.

&8220;She&8217;s an outstanding athlete. It was the first time she had been in an arena of this size. She fouled in the 100-meter hurdles and wound up not placing.&8221;

Frye said the poor finish in her first race was disappointing, but she had to get over it quickly.

&8220;I was kind of upset, because I really like the 100-meter hurdles,&8221; she said. &8220;It took me a minute to get over it, but I got over it because I had the 400-meter hurdles coming up. There were a lot of people there. It kind of bothered me this time.&8221;

Luckily for Frye, she was able to put aside her feelings and qualify for nationals by finishing second in the 400-meter hurdles.

&8220;She&8217;s one of the most outstanding hurdlers in her field,&8221; Woods said. &8220;When you carry these athletes into a large arena, sometimes they lose their technical capabilities. We&8217;re looking forward to her making the finals.&8221;

&8220;I&8217;m looking forward to overcoming the large crowd,&8221; Frye said. &8220;When I get to Baltimore, I know it&8217;ll be tough. I&8217;m going to do my best to represent my city and state. There will probably be a lot of people that are better than me, so I&8217;m going to have to train and work hard. I&8217;ll probably be used to it and be ready for it. I&8217;ll have enough time to practice for it and stuff.&8221;

Frye qualified for the regionals in Nashville by winning the 100- and 400-meter hurdle races in Baton Rouge in late June.

She defeated one of the top hurdlers in the Southeast twice while doing so.

Woods said anyone who wished to assist Frye in making it to the national finals in Baltimore from July 25-31, can contact him at 601-660-1139 to make donations or provide other assistance.