Jonah Hanig All-State; Team Finishes 15th

In a season filled with ups and downs, the State Meet ended the same way.   The team did not finish as high as we were hoping but many of the Giants had their fastest 3 mile times of their careers.   

Junior James Rector :   James has such a passion for distance running!   He worked very hard this summer and was hoping to earn a varsity top 7 spot.   Early in the season he was in and out of the top 7.   By the CSL Meet he was in the top 7 and stayed there the rest of the season.   James ran 17:09 in September on Detweiller going out the first mile in 5:26.   At the State Meet, he took a chance and went out in a 5:14 and was able to run a personal best of 16:40! 

Sophomore Brady McDougall :   What a season for Brady!  He did not run cross country his freshmen year, but joined us for track and looked like he could be one of our top seven sophomores.   He had a good summer of training and just continued to progress throughout the season and worked his way into the varsity top 7 as the number 2 sophomore.   Brady ran 17:32 in Peoria earlier this season and then ran a huge personal best of 16:27 at the State Meet! 

Senior Luke Nudelman:   Luke was running great in the early summer training but was then sidelined with a knee injury.    He worked very hard to get back running and build his mileage back up.     His times in workouts kept improving.  In his first few races he struggled, especially in the 3rd mile.   As his training continued to progress his racing kept getting better.    He showed what he is capable of with outstanding races at the two Quads and the Wheeling Invite.   Luke had a tough time at the CSL Meet but came back with solid races at the Regional and Sectional Meets.    At the State Meet he got out well, but unfourtunatly was not able to move through the second 2 miles of the race like we had hoped.   Luke ended up running 16:03 at the State Meet.     Hopefully, he can have a strong winter of training and build that confidence back up to do great things for the track season!

Sophomore Ben Casey :  Ben was having one of the best seasons ever for a sophomore at Highland Park High School.   This included earning All-Conference honors at the CSL Meet.  During the State Series Ben hurt his hip and was having IT Band problems so we had to cut back his running mileage and intensity.   Despite having a great deal of pressure on him to perform well as a sophomore, Ben responded well.    He stepped up big for the team in the Quads and CSL Meet.   Ben was also able to come back with two solid races in Sectionals and the State Meet after he did not run well at Regionals.   At the State Meet he ran a respectable 15:45.   If Ben can stay healthy and have a good year of training he has a chance to be All-State next fall!

Senior Emmett Smith :  As one of the team captains this season, Emmett has shown tremendous leadership for the team.   Despite missing the entire track season last spring and having lower mileage this summer and fall, he was able to get himself to a level of fitness that earned him All-Conference, a Regional medal, and helped get the team to the State Meet.   His dedication to get in quality cross training on the bike and in the pool is a lesson to any distance runner dealing with injuries and lower mileage.    Emmett shows incredible consitency and mental toughness in every workout and race.   At the State Meet he ended his high school cross country career with the 13th fastest time for a Highland Park runner on the Detweiller course by running a personal best 15:19 to finish in 86th.   As Emmett works hard once again this winter, and stays healthy, he will put himself in position to qualify for the State Track & Field Meet in the 3200 Meter Run.   

Junior Angel Estrada :  Angel is one of the toughest racers around!  After a summer of quality training, he had the best season ever for a junior at Highland Park High School.   He was All-Conference (4th), a regional medal winner (4th), and helped get the Giants to the State Meet with a strong race at Sectionals.   At the State Meet, Angel took a chance and went through some very fast splits including going sub 10 minutes for the 2 mile.  In the end he was able to run 15:02 and finish in 43rd place! This is the 7th fastest time by a Highland Park High School runner on the Detweiller course and the fastest time ever by a junior (previous best was 15:14 by Jonah in 2011).    In one year there is no telling how fast this incredible competitor will be able to go!   He is the 16th top returnee for next fall....but, "Training Beats Talent Over Time."    Look for Angel to be even higher then 16th!  

Senior Jonah Hanig :  What a high school cross country career Jonah has had!   He is one of the most competetive and dedicated runners you will find.   He has tremendous confidence in his abilities as a runner and is always wanting and willing to work harder then his competition.    At the very fast and competetive 2012 State Cross Country Meet Jonah had the goal of finishing in the top 10.  He went after that goal from the beginning with an aggressive 4:40 first mile!  This put him up into good position through just before the 2 mile when he had trouble keeping up the pace.   As he went through the final mile he stayed focused and was able to have a solid final 400 to finish in 21st place and earn All-State honors!  Jonah ran a very fast 14:46 for the 3 mile course.   This is the 4th fastest time ever by a runner from Highland Park High School on the Detweiller course.   Jonah ends his career with the 4th, 10th, 11th, and 19th fastest times for HP on this course!   Watch out this track season as Jonah comes in ready and more motivated then ever!

The 2012 team ended up finishing in 15th place at the State Meet just behind 14th place New Trier and well ahead of the fellow Schaumburg Sectional team from Hersey that finished 19th.   This top 3 was the greatest top 3 ever by a Highland Park team as at the State Meet they had the 4th, 7th, and 13th fastest times ever for an HP runner on Detweiller!  It is always a challenge to have each guy in the top 7 have their very best race on the same day.   It would have been quite an accomplishment to do that at the State Meet and be way up in the final standings, but that is one of the many things that makes cross country such a challenging sport.  "Nobody said it would be easy, they just said it would be worth it."

To the guys on the entire team that will be returning for next year:   What are you going to do over the next 365 days to be the best runner you can be and to help this team get back to the State Meet?????    It starts now and it takes a tremedous amount of disipline, desire, and sacrifice!   Are you willing to do that for the TEAM?

"There are only two options regarding commitment.  You're either in or you're out.  There's no such thing as life in between."   -Pat Riley

A special thank you to all of the friends, family, and alumni that have supported this incredible team all season long!   It is always greatly appreciated by the team members and the coaches!   Also, thank you so much to those that made the trip to Peoria to watch the State Meet!