St. Thomas More's Hess Stays Close To Home, Selects Bradley University

Nick Hess is one of the state of Illinois' top distance runners in the class of 2014. The St. Thomas More standout finished second at the Illinois State Cross Country Championships as a senior and third during his junior year. He recently announced he will be staying in state for college and close by. His destination Bradley University is only ninety minute west of his current hometown of Rantoul, Illinois.

What was the recruiting process like for you?

 

For me, the recruiting process was full of mixed emotions. I was given the opportunity to meet, and become close to, a lot of great people and universities. The process really started to pick up towards the end of my junior year when I began receiving emails and more personal letters from the coaches. Throughout the summer leading up to my senior year I had a pretty good idea of where I wanted to take my unofficial and official campus visits. Through the fall of my senior year I went of four official visits, each one giving me the opportunity to get to know the university better from the view of a Division 1 student athlete. I was able to learn more about the unique education and career paths, as well as the team, coaches, and atmosphere each university and team offered. The process of selecting a university that would benefit me the most in my future life was extremely difficult, but it was also a lot of fun. I had a tough time narrowing it down through the fall and it really took a toll on me sometimes.  In the end, though, I strongly believe I made the correct decision and I look forward to my next four plus years at Bradley. 

In the end, my decision came down to education. After my four years of undergraduate I want to go to Physical Therapy (PT) School. Bradley has an awesome PT program within the school that I couldn’t pass up. While some of the other programs also have PT schools or programs that will allow me to get into a PT school elsewhere, none had one like Bradley. At Bradley I am guaranteed a spot in their PT program if I am able to uphold certain GPA standards throughout my four years. That is HUGE because it may be much more difficult to get in to PT school at other places and the other places do not have the type of system or as many seats in the program available as Bradley does. On another note, Bradley is also significantly smaller than the three other universities I was considering. With enrollment at only about 11,000 it will allow me to stay focused on my studies and athletics without the distractions that may come with a larger university. In terms of Cross country and Track, each program is very unique. At Bradley I saw a very young team with a lot of talent and potential. It is a program much like that of my high school in terms of the coaches and the dynamic of the team. At Bradley I saw myself flourishing in school and on the course/track, and in the end it was just the right fit for me. 

 

For the past two summers, my teammates and I went to the Bradley cross-country summer camp. At camp I was able to get to know the athletes and the coaches a lot better. The fact that I already knew a majority of the guys on the team before going into my senior year put Bradley at a huge advantage. At Bradley, they are one big family. They have game nights, hang out together, and the atmosphere between them and the coaches is awesome. I love the whole idea of the team being a family because at St. Thomas More we are a family. In terms of coaches, Marc Burns and Matt Esche are great. They are both excellent coaches who I believe will help me to achieve my goals and be the best runner I can possibly be. I look forward to working with them and all the current athletes at Bradley University.

Did the small school feel and tight knit bond you have with your St. Thomas More teammates play a role?

 

The fact that I am so close to my current coach and teammates at St. Thomas More played a huge role in choosing Bradley. Like I said, Bradley reminded me a lot of STM in terms of how they act around each other. Between the athletes and the coaches, they really are one big family who does stuff together, jokes with each other, and wins and losses together. 

What will you remember most about your high school days?

The thing that I will remember most about my high school days will be all the great times I had with my teammates and the stories we would hear from our Coach Dave Behm. If you do not know Behm, as we call him, you really should. First off, he knows just about everybody on the face of this earth and if he doesn’t know you, well he isn’t shy; he’ll get to know you. For example, we went to the NCAA cross country championships in Terre Haute one year and he went up to the Oregon coach and started talking to the guy like he has known him for years. Secondly, the stories we hear from Behm are awesome/hilarious. Many of them may sound hard to believe sometimes, but he can usually prove them, even the ones that sound crazy. Lastly, this guy has done just about everything there is to do in life. Behm is the real “Most Interesting Man in the World” not the guy from the Dos Equis commercials. Behm should really write a book someday because he has done everything. Whether it be selling insurance, being on the SIU Carbondale basketball roster while he was a distance runner, being a top finisher at the bike messenger world championships, or being a bike messenger in Boston, it is safe to say he has done it all. Dave Behm has been a great coach and friend to me in my four years and I will definitely miss him and all his outrageous life stories. The whole team and I definitely have enjoyed hearing them for the past four years.

What kind of runner is Bradley getting in Nick Hess?

Next fall Bradley is getting an athlete who has a tremendous work ethic and is willing to do whatever it takes to be successful at the next, larger level. I love seeing hard work pay off in the end and I am more than willing to put forth the hard work.  

What are your goals for the next four years?

 

At Bradley, I have big goals, both on and off the course. You already know what my goals are educationally speaking, so let’s talk about what my goals are for running. My main goal is to continue to improve each year as a runner, both physically and mentally. I want to become smarter about the way I do things, whether it be training, eating, or setting goals. I also want to become a student of the sport and learn more about the body and its limits. Physically, I want to set myself up for success at a large stage. I want to be competitive at a conference stage as well as a regional and national stage. When I graduate college, I want to be able to look back and say I was the best student athlete I could have been. 

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