Girls track: Naperville North's Pendergast in a class by herself

Finishing her 1,600 meters, Naperville North's Judy Pendergast crossed the finish line more than 10 seconds ahead of anyone else.

Checking her time on the scoreboard as she walked off her home track April 15 at the Gus Scott Invitational, her expression crumbled from disappointed to crestfallen with each step she took. Shoulders shaking, tears approached and so did Huskies girls distance coach Dan Iverson to talk through what only Pendergast could see as failure - conversely illustrating just how extraordinary her senior campaign has been.

Her time of 4 minutes, 51.09 seconds set a new meet record and lowered her own program record. The strawberry blonde Harvard recruit was crying over her 1,600 time - which more than a month later leads all Illinois girls this season and ranks sixth all-time - because it did not surpass the indoor state-record 4:49.3 she ran at Batavia in March.

Pendergast got over it quickly, though. It seems she's also made peace with a potential disappointment beyond her control, an injury that may prevent her from running in this weekend's 44th Girls Track and Field State Finals in Charleston.

Pendergast had always favored cross country shoes on the track until running the 800 meters at Wheaton Warrenville South on April 29. Running in new spikes as she challenged defending Class 3A champion Michaela Hackbarth of Downers Grove South, an ill-fitting shoe constricted Pendergast's left foot and injured a muscle that extends heel to toe.

A victim of timing, rest would have solved the non-career-ending injury. Pendergast didn't have that luxury. May 12 at the Ottawa sectional she qualified for state in the 3,200 with a time of 10:57.16. Poor for her, that time would still rank 26th on Dyestat's Illinois chart this spring. She was unable to run the 1,600 as planned.

Frustrating, yes. Mentally debilitating, no.

"I'm trying to stay optimistic with it," the 2015-16 Gatorade Illinois girls cross country runner of the year said Tuesday. She conducted cross-training exercises in advance of the state meet without any running planned until Friday or even race-day Saturday.

"Definitely if I go in Saturday's race it's not going to be 100 percent, but at least I want to be confident enough racing that I know I will do well. But if I'm not confident with it, I don't want to put the foot in more pain and prolong the healing."

Iverson agreed.

"It's healing, but sectionals set her back before she was ready," he said. "She's a trouper, her attitude is good about it. That's the nature of the foot, it has to be functional, each step."

Great potential

If Pendergast's next interscholastic competition will be at Harvard - which she chose over interest from Texas A&M, Arizona State, Missouri State, William & Mary and after official visits to Cornell and Dartmouth - the loss in Charleston will be ours, not hers.

"She's an athlete who I think if she sets her eyes on making an Olympic Team sometime, that's something that she could do," said Iverson, inducted into the Illinois Track and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame this January on the same day Pendergast was running in an international cross country event in Scotland.

"It's been such a pleasure to say I was associated with her in some way," he said. "It is really an honor to be associated with her and it will be for my entire career."

A soccer convert whose first conference title came as an eighth-grader at Washington Junior High, Pendergast's best 1,600 time as a freshman was 5:19. She found her stride between her sophomore and junior years and has only picked up the pace since then.

Iverson said a "conscientious approach" to detail and consistency in training, stretching, even weight lifting helped her cut times and ascend lists. Wheaton Warrenville South coach Rob Harvey noticed this as well and mentioned Pendergast's increased focus on diet and nutrition.

"Training is one thing, and to a lot of kids that's going to be your biggest factor. She looked at everything," Harvey said.

Until April 29 it all jelled. Already a two-time all-state cross country runner, in November Pendergast became the first to break 16 minutes at Peoria's Detweiller Park with her time of 15:53.8. Advancing to the finals of both the Nike Cross Nationals (after setting a Midwest Regional record) and Foot Locker Cross Country National Championships, Pendergast was disappointed with her eighth-place Nike finish but regrouped to take fourth at Foot Locker, spending time in the lead.

A photograph by the Daily Herald's Paul Michna of Pendergast running the 3,200 at Glenbard West's Sue Pariseau Invitational on April 23 was certainly worth 1,000 words. Pictured in fine detail up front, the Huskie ran virtually alone. For top runners this is common until considering the blurred pack meters in Pendergast's wake contained all-staters like Glenbard West's Lindsey Payne, Naperville North's Sarah Schmitt and Geneva's McKenzie Altmayer.

Pendergast's time of 10:07.18 led the nation until Virginia's Weini Kelati - who Pendergast battled at Foot Locker - bumped her into second place on the Dyestat board on May 7. After running Illinois' third-best time in history Pendergast came back at the Pariseau to run the 1,600 in 4:51.99.

Having it all

Running under control that day was Pendergast's proudest moment this spring. Naperville North track coach Brian Webb was never more proud of his senior co-captain than last November at state cross country. Pendergast won the individual Class 3A race in record-setting time then immediately asked about team results.

"I think her initial reaction was, 'Man, we' - we, plural - 'didn't win.' I think the individual title was secondary," Webb said.

"She's just really friendly, one of the nicest kids, makes everybody feel welcome," he said. "If I asked for her to do something, or Dan asked for her to do something to communicate to the team it'd definitely get done. She's reliable and again with her teammates it's just like she's another girl. It's not like it's Judy and everyone else, it's a real good team atmosphere."

Humble and genuine, plus a 4.26 grade-point average and particular in habits on and off the track.

The lesson Pendergast teaches, said WW South's Rob Harvey, is this: "You can have it all - you can have a great running career, can have the academics."

Can we have one final moment? Yes or no, Judy Pendergast has enriched Illinois high school distance running.

"It's been such a good experience," she said. "It's frustrating that it could end like, not great, but I'm proud of where I've come."