(Jack Keelan photo by Steve Bugarin)
BOYS WINNER: Jack Keelan - Senior @ St. Ignatius College Prep
In 2010, St Ignatius Prep senior Keelan had run 14:36 and placed twelfth at state. Last October, Keelan ran a time of 15:31.55 for three miles at the Niles West Sectional. The time garnered him 16th place and no spot in the state finals. He decided to run at the NXN regional and ran with the same top guys from the Illinois state meet and finished 15th. After a successful track season, Coach Ed Ernst says Keelan has put last year behind him and is ready to focus on 2012.
"In the end Jack has looked back on his disappointment last fall as some that really taught him how humbling the sport can be. Along with successes cones some failures and you have to get over those failures to get better."
Keelan ran 15:31 to win the ICOPS Invitational for the first race of the year. He beat out Matt Meyers of Aurora Central Catholic by twenty one seconds. He followed that performance up with his most recent win at the First To The Finish Invitational at Detweiller Park. The seniors time of 14:35.00 was a new personal best and was twenty seconds faster than runner-up Joey Santillo of Minooka. His time was the fastest of the day regardless of class beating out some of the state's best runners like Grant Nykaza, Jake Brown, and Riley McInerney who all broke the fifteen minute mark as well. Coach Ernst says the duo had a simple game plan coming into the race.
"Jack's plan on Saturday was to sit with Micah Beller and Joey Santillo for the first mile. Then he was going to go. This was really a variation on the classic Detweiller plan of making a big move on the back triangle. He entered the triangle with them on his back. He came out with a 50 meter lead."
Ernst attributes Keelan's growth to the fact that he developed finishing speed. During the indoor season he ran on the team's 4x400 relay and ran under 53 seconds as the anchor leg which was a big improvement. During the outdoor season he routinely closed out 800 meters of a race in under 2:05. In the Midwest Distance mile, he passed five runners in the last 200 meters to finish third. His greatest moments on the track came when he dropped a 4:09.64 at the Midwest Distance Classic and broke the nine minute barrier (8:55.36) for 3200 meters at Arcadia which is one of the toughest meets of the year. Not only did these meets and the increase in speed instill confidence, but it also made him a better runner.
"Jack was a good freshman cross country runner--16:30 or so, but he really had a breakthrough when he ran 9:41 as a freshman for 3200. Then as a sophomore he emerged as our number one--and had a phenomenal race at the state meet when he placed 13th in 14:36. It was a crazy fast day for a lot of guys, yes, but that was the ninth fastest time ever by a sophomore at Detweiller in the state meet. Jack didn't live up to that promise, perhaps, his junior season in cross country. But he did in track.
A true test to his "gritty" behavior. Jack has bounced back in 2012. It's a toughness. A willingness to fight. It's a quality that Ernst says has shown over the past year and it's no wonder he will be competing for the top spot at state.
"In 3A, it seems perfectly fair to rate Alex Riba as the number one guy after finishing second last year--although even his own teammate Patrick Perrier might be another candidate. I think Jack deserves some votes, even this early in the season."
Niles West is a strong sectional and it will be hard for them to qualify as a team, but Coach Ernst is hoping Keelan can bring the team along with him to state. After that Ernst says the goal is for Keelan to win the state meet in 3A.
"He wants to run a really fast time assuming conditions can help him to do so. He also has plans to continue running at Footlocker and NXN."
GIRLS WINNER: Courtney Ackerman - Senior @ New Trier
New Trier senior Courtney Ackerman has had a heck of a high school career, but at the First to the Finish Invitational, Ackerman might have ran her best race ever. She crossed the line in a new personal best of 16:45 for three miles at Detweiller Park beating out runner up Jill Hardies by nearly thirty seconds. Coach Burnside says as simple as it sounds her game plan was to come in and run a complete race.
"We wanted to limit weak spots and push from beginning to end. She did a great job of pushing the first mile without getting carried away."
After losing the first meet of the year to Madeline Perez of Glenbard South, Ackerman answered with a win at the First to the Finish Invite and then most recently at the Libertyville Invitational where she finished first. Burnside says his standout senior responds well to competition.
"She recognizes the talent present in these meets and great performances by the likes of Perez, Bollinger, and Hardies are no surprise. I don't think she was shaken by the loss to Perez. Great races like that (Hinsdale) are what you would expect from an athlete of her caliber. I think Courtney would prefer to run in a deep field almost every week."
Alongside Courtney is her sister Jess, another top runner for nationally ranked New Trier. Burnside says the two are great counterbalances for one another.
"Working together makes the two of them more mindful and intelligent competitors. I feel as though having your sister on the team is also a grounding influence."
It's a grounding influence you need to be one of the top runners in the state and on one of the top programs in the country. Ackerman finished fourth at state and helped lead New Trier to a state title. As a junior, she also placed in the top fifteen at Nike Midwest and Footlocker Midwest. Coach Burnside says her desire to compete is her strength as a leader.
"She (along with our other top kids) look forward to and enjoy competing with the top runners in the state. Their attitude toward these other teams is one of respect not fear. They have actually become friends with several of the top competitors in the state, but make no mistake about it, when Courtney goes out there she runs to win."
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