Bartlett's Schneider motivated
Bartlett senior girls cross country standout Alyssa Schneider has some added motivation going into Saturday's Class 3A state finals in Peoria.
Schneider, making her third state finals appearance, was felled by an iron deficiency during last year's final at Detweiller Park and ended up finishing 101st.
“Hopefully I can redeem myself for last year,” she said. “Last year (at the state meet) I was confused and upset and didn't know what was wrong. I'm very motivated.”
Schneider has enjoyed a strong postseason run thus far. She took second at the Upstate Eight Conference River Division meet and then took second at the Class 3A West Aurora regional. She was third at last weekend's St. Charles East sectional.
“I've had a good and healthy season,” Schneider said. “I got back into it and have grown as a runner. I've really made strides this season.”
Schneider said she would like to establish herself early in Saturday's race.
“I want to start of strong in the first mile,” she said. “The first mile is always fast. And then I'll hold on and make my move and hope it works out.”
Schneider would like to get in the Top 10 and also has a time goal in mind.
“I'd like to go sub-17 minutes,” said Schneider, whose season low is a 17:01 at the UEC meet. “Hopefully at that point the place will take care of itself.”
Schneider is one of five Fox Valley-area athletes who will compete in Peoria Saturday.
Crystal Lake South senior Marianne Collard will also be part of the Class 3A field. Collard, who qualified for state as a junior, finished in second place ahead of Schneider at St. Charles last weekend.
In the Class 2A meet, Hampshire junior Cassie Kruse will look to cap off her impressive season-long improvement. Kruse won the Big Northern Conference championship and then won the Class 2A Sycamore regional in convincing fashion. She took eighth at the ultracompetitive Belvidere sectional last weekend.
“The sectional gave me confidence,” Kruse said. “There was a lot of tough competition there. A lot of them will be Downstate. I didn't have my best race and I was still able to qualify for state. Hopefully I can do better Downstate and have a better race.”
Kruse also has specific goals in mind.
“I would like to be all-state (Top 25),” she said. “That's my No. 1 goal. I also want to get as close to first place as I am able to and hopefully PR with my fastest time.”
Kruse ran 17:54 in a midseason invitational at Genoa. She ran 18:18 at the regional and 18:28 at the sectional. Kruse did run 16:22 at the conference meet, but the course was only 2.85 miles.
“I'm going to stay calm and be myself and run as strong as I can,” the first-time cross country state qualifier said. “We'll see what happens.”
Burlington Central senior Markelle Turk will bring to a close one half of her standout high school running career (with track and field still to come in the spring) in the Class 2A meet. Turk was part of the 1997 Central team that took sixth in the state (she finished 12th individually) and the 1998 team that took 10th in the state.
The lone Fox Valley-area boy to qualify for state is Burlington Central junior Clint Kliem.
“The key is to not get too riled up and not get psyched out and to stay calm out there,” Kliem noted.
Kliem is no neophyte to Detweiller Park. He's a three-time state qualifier and has also run the course during the regular season at the Peoria Woodruff invitational.
“I definitely know the course,” he said.
Kliem, who finished third at the regional (16:10) and eighth at the sectional (15:57), is shooting for a Top 15 finish.
“That's where my goal is now. Top 10 would be nice,” he stated. “Our sectional was one of the hardest there was. A lot of good kids are going to be there. A matter of a couple of places can mean five or six places. Wherever the pack is, I'm going to definitely try to stay with it. If I break away, I'm going to hang on and see where it takes me and then the last mile is all guts.”
Kliem was 25th in the state last year and 45th as a freshman.