Garrison eager to build a triathlon tradition at North Central

Jenny Garrison is casting a large net as coach of North Central College's new women's triathlon program.

The NCAA announced triathlon as an emerging sport for women in January 2014, and North Central was among eight colleges nationwide that received grants for the sport.

The Cardinals began the program in April 2015 and hired Garrison, making the 1997 Naperville North graduate among the first of her kind.

"The biggest thing is just educating people that this is available for girls," said Garrison, an elite competitor for 15 years and a coach for a decade. "They have the opportunity to jump into something so new."

A two-time finisher of the famous Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii and former Team USA member, Garrison travels far and wide to gauge talent and recruit girls who'd like to swim 800 meters, bike 20 kilometers and cap that with a 5K run.

Last Saturday Garrison went to Clermont, Florida, for the inaugural Women's Collegiate Triathlon National Championship, in which five programs competed. She said 10 have committed for the fall of 2016. This weekend she'll go to Champaign on a recruiting trip.

Garrison said Metea Valley senior swimmer Niki Banas has indicated her interest in the new program. Garrison said it is somewhat difficult to recruit considering triathlon is not a "plug and play" effort like every other sport.

"It's really finding a diamond in the rough," she said.

"Recruiting is challenging in that there's no real portal to recruit from. It's finding these girls who want to try something new and different."

She targets cross country runners and swimmers, whose talents lend themselves directly to triathlon.

"Everyone knows how to ride a bike," Garrison said, though not everyone knows how to take hairpin turns at high speed or draft in a pack. But she can teach that.

"Honestly, it's my dream job," she said.

She's sent hundreds of emails to coaches, searching for what she hopes will be a 20-woman team in North Central's first competitive season in 2016. Garrison figures she'll probably start with at least 12 on the team; five race in varsity meets with the top three scoring.

As Garrison's history illustrates, this is a fresh opportunity for athletes seeking to extend their athletic days past high school.

"It's something new that might invigorate your sport life," she said.

Final push

Girls swimming sectionals will be held Saturday at a variety of locations - including Downers Grove North, Lyons Twp., St. Charles East and a real grinder at Neuqua Valley - so it's nice to look at the final regular-season rankings compiled by Evanston coach Kevin Auger.

Each of last year's top five teams are among Auger's top 10: No. 1 Rosary followed by Lake Forest, Loyola and St. Charles North. Downers Grove North, which tied for second with Rosary at the 2014 state meet, is ranked 10th entering sectionals. Loyola is the defending champion.

Among the Evanston coach's top 20 are No. 14 Naperville Central and No. 19 Metea Valley. Others receiving consideration were Neuqua Valley, Hinsdale Central and Waubonsie Valley.

The girls state meet will be held Nov. 20-21 at New Trier. Good luck getting tickets.

In the running

Helping moderate Wednesday's "undercard" debate of Republican presidential candidates in Milwaukee was Fox Business Network reporter Sandra Smith.

She's a former Wheaton Warrenville South track and cross country athlete, Class of 1998. Smith also was a member of Louisiana State University's 2003 indoor and outdoor national champions and remains on the Tigers' records list in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

A fall to remember

National Hockey League superstition holds that the captain of a conference champion accepts a glorious trophy he barely acknowledges.

He will not hoist a trophy honoring almost-there.

Ben Lodewyk felt the same way when Timothy Christian lost the 2014 Class 1A soccer championship 2-0 to Columbia.

"I refused to touch the second-place trophy," he said.

This year the defender from Villa Park would cuddle the winner's cup like a pillow since the Trojans beat Anna-Jonesboro 4-1 for the 1A title on Oct. 31.

Success in prep sports can run in cycles. At Timothy Christian this fall has been like one of those multi-seat tandems you see at the circus, minus the clowns.

"It's been just a really, really fun fall for us. We've had four of our five teams go down(state)," said Timothy interim athletic director Jack LeGrand, also the boys varsity basketball coach and middle school AD.

Along with boys soccer - which added to its 2009 Class 1A title - the girls tennis team won the York sectional to advance to the state finals for the first time. The boys and girls cross country teams reached the Class 1A finals at Peoria's Detweiller Park, the first time both units qualified for state in the same season.

This weekend the Trojans girls volleyball team competes in the Class 2A finals at Redbird Arena in Normal.

Clearly Gatorade mingles with fluoride in the water.

"Since I've been in high school I don't remember all the teams going down to state, so that's pretty exciting," said Dani Van Laten, a volleyball co-captain with fellow seniors Abby Groters, Grace Miller and Alison DeBoer. The Trojans' record of 36-4 ties the school wins record set last year, when Timothy lost to Montini in the Class 3A sectional finals.

Motivation to join Timothy's other state-bound teams and the change in class was a tantalizing combination for the volleyball captains.

"There's only four of us, so we'd always be talking about it," said Van Laten, a setter who will play at Trinity Christian College. "In the beginning of the season, our main goal was, since we got moved down to 2A let's make it to state."

This run may have legs. Volleyball stars Ava Venema and Kendra Teune are juniors, and the boys soccer team notched title-match goals by junior Joshua Anderson and sophomores Michael Martens and Jimmy Allen in addition to Lodewyk.

Michael Larkin was the lone senior on the boys cross country team, while second singles tennis player Abygale Ahn is a freshman and the second doubles team of Danielle Beard and Maddie Monat are juniors.

"We had starters in the state final game representing every class," said first-year boys soccer coach Steve Fernandes, a Wheaton Academy graduate hired straight out of Wheaton College.

On Thursday morning the girls volleyball team rode to Normal in buses decorated by the boys soccer team, who returned the girls' favor from two weeks ago as well as last fall when the boys played at Normal's Corn Crib.

Lodewyk recalled Timothy's two festooned minibuses contrasting with the stately coaches of the three other semifinalists.

"It doesn't matter about the bus," he said. "It matters what's in it."

doberhelman@dailyherald.com

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