Bartlett's Schneider now the true senior leader

Last season was a major culture shock for Bartlett senior girls cross country standout Alyssa Schneider.

Gone from the team were Schneider's close friends and running mates Sam Salinas and sister, Kristen Schneider, as both had graduated.

"Losing Sam and my sister was a big challenge for me," Schneider admits. "All of a sudden I was leading the workouts on my own and was running in races without anybody Bartlett around. I had to change my mentality. Losing both of those people, I was losing the people that taught me how to run competitively. I learned a lot from them. I worked off what they taught me. They helped me become the runner I am. I tell them all the time that I miss running with them. I always think about how we used to run. I owe them so much for where I am now."

Where Schneider finds herself is being the leader of a Bartlett girls cross country team that has its eyes squarely focused on qualifying for the Class 3A state finals in Peoria for an impressive third year in a row.

"Alyssa is really good," says Bartlett senior co-captain Amy Swick. "She pushes herself really hard. She's really inspirational for the rest of the team."

Bartlett coach Beth Emody has noticed a change in Schneider's leadership abilities this season.

"She has really grown as a leader and has been a huge help to the coaches, especially this year," Emody says. "She teaches the younger athletes how to work hard and be competitive. The girls really look up to her and follow her lead."

In terms of her individual game, Schneider, who finished fifth in Class 3A as a sophomore, feels self-motivation has helped her during her runs.

"I've gotten better at pushing myself to get a faster time or a faster (personal record)," she says. "I've progressed as a runner individually."

"Throughout the years, Alyssa has gained confidence in her abilities as a runner," Emody adds. "She had a really healthy summer and had strong workouts and continues to do so now."

Schneider, a three-time state finals qualifier in track and field, is hoping the injury bug has left the premises for good this season. Schneider, who had to be hospitalized after the conference meet her freshman year (she says it was believed to be due to extreme dehydration), suffered from an iron deficiency last season.

"It wasn't discovered until the season ended," she explained. "You could tell it was getting to me. The last half of races I was getting fatigued and when I tried moving my legs it felt like they wouldn't go. I had no energy. It really held me back the last stretch of the season with conference, regionals, sectionals and state. I could tell it affected me. I didn't really know what was going on. I knew where I had to be, but I wasn't there. As hard as I tried, I couldn't get up there. I saw a doctor and I've been taking supplements and I'm back on track."

Schneider, also one of the captains on the team, is excited about the progress she has been seeing with this year's team.

"I think the freshmen and sophomore girls have really stepped it up," says Schneider, who would like to run in college. "We're starting to get girls running alongside in workouts. We're really starting to come together as a team. We've really gotten out there and have pushed ourselves outside of our comfort zone. Everybody is working hard together."

In addition to Schneider, Bartlett also welcomes back junior Taylor Crawford and sophomores Nicole Watkins and Lyndsay Bruzzini. Crawford and Watkins also ran in the Class 3A state finals last year. Crawford was Bartlett's highest state finisher with Schneider second on the team in Peoria.

Schneider feels Crawford is poised for a big season in 2010.

"I think you will see Taylor Crawford make a big change in her running," Schneider says. "She will get up there and be competition to everyone."

Swick feels the Hawks also excel because of the connection they have with one another.

"This team is a lot of fun. There's a lot of encouragement and a lot of team spirit," Swick says. "I've been able to improve as a runner, but I've also made a lot of good friends and made a lot of good connections with people who enjoy the same stuff I do. It's been a really good experience for me."

An even better experience for the Hawks this year would be a three-peat in Peoria.

"Going to state the last two years is a big motivation for the team," says Schneider, who would like to reclaim all-state status this season.

"The fact that we've done it two years in a row gets us even more excited that we should be there every year. We're still a young team. We're trying to get our race strategy and tighten up our top 5. Hopefully we'll go out with a big finish and the whole team will make it big this year."

Swick says there is a simple formula to making Peoria in November a reality.

"We've got a lot of girls that are really dedicated here," she said. "We have to keep pushing ourselves and keep getting better as the season goes along. Those are the things we need to do to go to state. There might be a lot of pressure. But if we work hard, I think we can do it."