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Girls track and field: Grayslake Central's senior duo is on the move

With a bag packed with enough shoes to make you wonder if she just returned from shopping at a 50-percent-off sale, Alexa Schmitt hops off the bus running.

She doesn't stop sprinting, except to change her footwear. For dual meets and invites, she carries three different pairs of track shoes: high-jump spikes, long-jump spikes and sprint spikes.

"Usually, I start competing right when we get there," said Schmitt, a Grayslake Central senior who competes hurdles and jumps. "Then, four hours later, I'll be done."

"Alexa does it all," teammate Katie Schroeder said. "She's either running, jumping or changing shoes."

Or studying.

Schroeder is similar to Schmitt in that, while she isn't constantly changing spikes at track meets, she takes equal pride in achieving both in the classroom and on the track.

Meet Grayslake Central's leaders of the pack and Ivy League-bound duo: Schmitt, who's headed to Cornell University, and Schroeder, who's taking her talents to the University of Pennsylvania.

The versatile Schmitt plans to compete the heptathlon.

"Which, I think, is arguably the hardest thing any athlete can do," Grayslake Central coach Shawn Murphy said.

Competing seven events can wait for now. Schmitt will tackle four during meets in the final spring of her four-year varsity career.

At the Top Times indoor meet last month at Illinois Wesleyan University's Shirk Center, she broke her school record in the high jump by 2 inches, clearing 5 feet 7.

"Almost as tall as me," the 5-8 Schroeder joked.

Schmitt is a three-time state qualifier. She finished ninth in the long jump (17-8.5) in the Class 3A state meet season, while also qualifying downstate in the 300 hurdles. She went to state (Class 2A) in the high jump as both a sophomore and freshman.

"I'm hoping to place in the top eight at outdoor state in the 300 hurdles, high jump and long jump," Schmitt said. "I'd like to go 5-9 in the high jump by the end of the season, hopefully hit 19 (feet) in long jump and go low 43 or high 42 (seconds) for 300 hurdles."

Like Schmitt, Schroeder has, well, high expectations for this season. And understandably so. At the Top Times meet, she not only cleared 12-6 in the pole vault to win the title, but she also sailed over the bar at a personal-best 12-9 to set the meet record.

Impressive feats, for sure, especially considering Schroeder had recently been diagnosed with non-epileptic seizures. Donating blood at school had caused her to faint and then experience seizures when she woke up. She ended up going to the Mayo Clinic to be treated.

"I haven't had any (seizures) in almost three weeks," Schroeder said Thursday.

Assuming her seizures are history, she can resume her quest at the "double" - state titles both indoors and outdoors.

"I think it's pretty realistic," Schroeder said.

It's realistic to think Schroeder will keep achieving more and more. She topped out at 8-9 in the pole vault as a freshman, but a year later was clearing 11-6. She's won the pole-vault title at the sectional meet in each of the last two seasons, at Woodstock in 2014 and at Fremd in 2015.

It's also realistic to think that considering Schroeder's athleticism - she's a former club gymnast - Murphy will look to use her in events other than just the pole vault.

"She's going to run some (200s) for us and some other things," Murphy said. "She's got a chance to maybe be in our (800) relay. But we're well-rounded."

Competing only the pole vault would probably be fine with Schroeder.

"I love (pole-vaulting)," said Schroeder, who just recently gave up gymnastics, a sport she had been doing since she was a toddler, to focus on her final Grayslake Central season of track and field. "It's just very exhilarating. Clearing the bar is the best feeling. Alexa probably knows from competing high jump. It's just so nice. You're like, 'I made it! Then you're like, 'I want to go higher.' "

Owner of a 30 ACT score (that's a high number), Schroeder chose Penn, which is located in Philadelphia, after also visiting Illinois, Cornell and Dartmouth.

"Since I want to study business, Penn was the obvious choice," said Schroeder, noting Penn's Wharton School is the No. 1-ranked business school in the nation. "Everything fit."

Cornell, which is located in upstate New York, fit for Schmitt, who also checked out Dayton and Memphis to pursue academics and track.

"I took a lot of unofficial visits and some official visits," said Schmitt, who cranked out a 29 on her ACT. "When I went to Cornell, I just really liked the campus, and it's a good academic school. It just felt right when I went there. The team was really welcoming, and it's a pretty campus."

"It's beautiful," Schroeder said of the Ithaca campus. "There's nothing not to like."

Schmitt is interested in studying anesthesiology. She hopes to go to med school.

Which means she has no plans of slowing down.

Spikes or no spikes.

jaguilar@dailyherald.com

• Follow Joe on Twitter: @JoeAguilar64

  Katie Schroeder Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com
  Alexa Schmitt Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com
  Grayslake Central track and field seniors Alexa Schmitt, left, and Katie Schroeder are staying busy as they prepare for promising collegiate futures. Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com
  Grayslake Central track and field seniors Alexa Schmitt, left, and Katie Schroeder are staying busy as they prepare for promising collegiate futures. Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com
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