Jones College Prep out of Chicago finished sixth at last year's 2A Illinois State Cross Country Champs. All seven of the boys are back for 2012 and are poised to make the podium. The group is led by a talented senior class including Jamison Dale, Luke O'Connor, and Kirby Lawson. Dale finished sixth last year and will be a contender for the individual title. O'Connor and Laweson held down the number two and three spots finsihing 36th and 40th. The fourth senior if the group is captain Armando Rodriguez who is coming off one of the best track seasons he has ever had. Sophomore Kyle Malone will round out the top five. Maloney had an impressive track season as well going 4:27 for 1600 meters and 9:47 for 3200 meters as a freshman.
Joining a list of newcomers to the team will be juniors transfer Peter Schablie who comes to Jones from St Rita. Coach Adelmann says it will be both a great academic and athletic opportunity for Peter who finished fifth in the Chicago Catholic League Championships. Schablie placed 52nd at the 2A Cross Country Finals in 15:44. He will be a valuable asset to this team and find a place in the top seven. He is the fifth returning runner on this team who has run 15:45 or better.
Coach Adelmann says the team has responded well to the summer mileage and the guys look good right now. One problem the Eagles won't have is depth. Forty-five guys have come out for cross country. That is an incredible feat considering the whole school only has around 350 boys. Belvidere North and Yorkvillle will field strong teams in 2A, but if Jone's can get their number four and five runners to step up, they will be in the mix for a podium spot.
Coach Adelmann Says...
"The team looks good right now. The guys put together a solid summer of training and we are looking forward to reaping those benefits in the coming months. The fall is always a really exciting time for us and we are just really enjoying each day. We just have such an incredible group of guys this year and our staff is very proud of how they have all progressed. We will have about 45 guys wearing the singlet this year out of a school of only about 350 boys, so to see what they are accomplishing right now without a lot of numbers or resources to work with makes it that much more rewarding. "
"We are also welcoming yet another talented group of incoming freshmen. This is now the fourth year in a row where we have added a solid group of incoming runners and it has really been the reason behind the success our program has been having. Once again our freshmen will consist primarily of guys who have no prior running experience (only one of the fourteen) but are eager to become students of the sport and are showing a ton of potential in early workouts. Our freshmen class will revolve around a core group of five guys, including a trio of "Nicks" (Nikolas Merten, Nicholas Moreno, and Nicholas Mosqueda), Ben Phalen and Alexander Behle. Ethan Barreto and Noah Lazers also show a lot of promise."
"Our goal is no different this year than it was when we started. Three years ago we talked about our long term goals on the first day of practice our first season (for the coaching staff and our current seniors' freshmen year) and things haven't wavered since. The guys know what they need to get done and that has been the top priority for everyone. We oviously have a very special group of athletes who will be lacing up for our this year and we are well aware of our potential at the state level and what other's expectations of us are, but all our expectations are is for our guys to simply be the best runners and people that we can be and leave everything out there when it counts. If that happens, we'll have succes."
"Our schedule is put together very diligently, in conjunction with our training, to ensure that the proper progression happens to enable us to run our best when it counts, and that is in November. We ultimately look at all other meets as a means to that end and will typically hold back or put more emphasis on single areas in all the meets prior to our peak. We are, however, looking forward to being part of the uber talented field at the Palatine Invitational this season and are just excited and honored to be part of all the tradition that surrounds that meet."
2012 Returner's Top Times
Three Mile (XC)
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