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Sports

Player Profile: Ariel Michalek

Oswego East senior is on track to defend her cross country and 3,200-meter run state titles.

 senior Ariel Michalek took Illinois by storm by pulling away during the final 300 meters to win the Class 3A cross country state meet last November in Detweiller Park in Peoria.

Michalek proved she’s not a one-hit wonder by winning the 3,200-meter run at the Class 3A state track and field meet in May in O’Brien Stadium on the Eastern Illinois University campus in Charleston.

She is the first state champ and two-time state champion in ’s athletic history and was voted the Southwest Prairie Conference Female Athlete of the Year as awarded by www.SPCReport.com.

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This year, she has picked up where she left off.

When did you start running and when did you start getting serious about running? My dad (Mike) was talking to me the summer before I was going into seventh grade and told me to try cross country. I decided to try it and if I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t do it the next year. After the first day of running, I fell in love with the sport.

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Why not soccer, softball or other “more popular” sports? I do play fast-pitch softball during the summers, but running is my favorite because it is challenging and fun to participate in.

Is there any pressure being a defending state champion in two sports? Yes. But, I believe if I keep working hard, I can accomplish these things again. The competition gets better every year, and I am looking forward to racing in the fall. The person who wins the state meets truly deserves it and it can be anybody. You never can predict who is going to win it. I am excited for this challenge to duplicate what I did my junior year.

How many miles did you run over the summer to prepare for your senior season? Forty to 50 miles per week.

Who are your favorite athletes? Alfonso Soriano, Cat Osterman, Jenny Finch, Brian Urlacher and Devin Hester. They all are dedicated to their sport and would do anything to make themselves better. They show me that if you work as hard as you can in what you do, you can achieve the top honor of being a professional athlete. They all are great athletes and I am always rooting for them when I watch them on television.

What was last year like for you, winning the state title in cross country and another in track? It was very exciting and an accomplishment that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

What was your most embarrassing sports moment? During my sophomore year of cross country, we had a weekday meet in Minooka. I got lost on the course and it was really embarrassing. My teammates and I look back and laugh at it now, but at the time, I was truly embarrassed.

What are your goals for the 2011 season? My goals for cross country are to win and improve my time at every meet that I compete in and break my own record at state. I also would like to break the course record for all three classes, as well. My big goal that I want to achieve is to break 16 minutes. In track, I want to win every race that I compete in and improve every race, as well. I really am aiming to beat all of (Woodstock graduate) Kayla Beattie’s records and training to be a contender to win the state title in both the 3,200 and 1,600.

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