All State Runners

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To be considered All-State, a runner must place in the top 25 in the IHSA State Meet.  This page honors those individuals.  They are listed in alphabetical order.

 

Ben Barron (Sr.) 24th, 2002 (15:02)

Ben was our first All-State runner, placing 24th his senior year.   He improved a lot over his four-year career.  He came out for cross-country to get in shape for baseball and never looked back.   Ben ran just under 17:00 his freshman year and improved to run in the mid 16’s his sophomore year.  His junior year, he was hampered by a sinus infection and did not race for almost three weeks before the Sectional meet.  He managed to run 15:48 at the State meet to help us finish tenth that year.  During the summer before his senior year, Ben made up his mind to work really hard.  He turned in an outstanding early-season time of 15:17 at the Peoria Notre Dame Invitational and won the Upstate Eight Conference championship.  He then earned his All-State recognition by almost breaking 15:00 at the State meet.

Aaron Beattie: 2007 – 13th as soph in 14:44.2; 2009 – 4th as a senior in 14:31

Aaron came in as a talented freshman, having run in the low 5’s for the mile as an 8th grader.  He got off to a slow start his freshman year, not joining us for summer running until early July.  As Aaron rounded into shape, he showed his competitive fire in the conference meet, finishing as the top freshman in 5th place.  After putting in a great base during the winter, Aaron continued to improve and broke 10:00 for the 3200m that spring.  However, it was the summer of 2007 that propelled him into becoming the fastest sophomore in our history.  Aaron trained consistently and put in the miles without overdoing it.  For the first two meets, he ran at the f/s level until Jimmy Riddle got hurt.  His first varsity race was at the Culver Invitational where he started to show everyone he belonged at the varsity level.  His true breakout race came at the conference meet where he ran 14:37 to finish 3rd behind teammates Chris Derrick and Danny Pawola.  Aaron went on to finish as the top sophomore in the State, helping his team win its first State title.  His junior year was a disappointing one due to an IT injury that put him on the sidelines for more than 4 weeks.  He ran in the State meet but was not in top form and ran 15:03.  Aaron’s senior year was one to write home about.  He was conference champion, regional champion, and finished fourth at State.  He ran a great race at the State meet by being patient in the warm weather to help his team win a state championship.  Aaron is one of four runners in our history to finish all-state two times.

Chris Derrick: 2006 – 3rd as a junior in 14:21.6; 2007 – 1st as a senior in 13:51.8

 Chris is a true inspiration to all who want to become a great runner.  Chris was introduced to our program via a recommendation from another parent and reluctantly joined our summer program.  As a freshman, he ran 18:12 for three miles and was our 7th man on the f/s squad at the conference meet.  As he continued to mature, it was obvious he had a real passion for running.  He joined forces with upperclassmen the following summer and trained smart.  It was my intention to run him in f/s races that fall, but he never gave me a chance.  He was our #1 man on the varsity from the first meet and placed 43rd at the IHSA State meet while running 15:06.  Young for his grade (Chris turned 16 in mid-October his junior year), he kept growing and trained consistently (his secret J).  Beginning with his victory at the first invitational of the year, it was obvious he would be tough to beat.  He won the Upstate Eight conference title with ease and finished 3rd at the IHSA State meet running a school and then District 204 record of 14:21.6.  Chris’ senior year will go down in history as possibly the best season by an Illinois distance runner.  He broke 8 course records, while going unbeaten.  He ran one of the fastest times ever run at Detweiller in winning the individual State title and led his team to the first ever AAA State Championship.  He then led our team to a national title in Portland, Oregon at the Nike Team National Championships by winning individually.  A week later, he finished second at Footlocker Nationals in San Diego, CA.  During that spring, he ran a 13:55.98 5k at the Arcadia Invitational to run the fastest 5k ever run in a high school only race.

Mark Derrick, Sr. 14:37, 9th, 2011

Mark never ran in middle school and it took a little convincing to get him to run in high school.  He did not grasp onto the work it took to be successful until midway through his sophomore year.  That year he ran 16:51 at Conference to place 4th overall and finished 42 seconds behind teammate Taylor Soltys.  The summer before his junior year he was hampered by a couple injuries (he was kicked in the ankle by a mad girl) but he finally rounded into shape and was looking like he would challenge for an all-state spot.  However, during the 2010 State meet, he lost his shoe about 800m into the race (a Mark Derrick trademark).  He still managed to run negative splits and dip just under 15:00.  After a great track season and a 9:14 3200m, Mark looked primed to challenge for a top 10 spot that next fall.  He did just that, running 14:37 his senior year to finish 9th at the State meet.  His first invitational win came at the Northside/Southside Challenge in early October.  He then went on to become the Upstate Eight, Regional, and Sectional champion.    After the IHSA season, he finished 21st at the Midwest Regional Footlocker meet, a great performance to cap off his xc career.

Nick Dunn (Sr.) 11th 2003 (14:46)

Nick was a varsity contributor all four years.  During his freshman year, he was our 4th/5th man and helped us win our first conference title.   He ran 16:13 at Detweiller that year.  He had a mediocre sophomore year relative to his freshman year, but helped us qualify for State for the first time in our history.  He was our 4th man, running 15:55.  It was the summer before his junior year, that Nick decided he was going to be more consistent and really work hard.  His hard work paid high dividends.  He ran 15:13 at the IHSA State meet and narrowly missed being All-State (29th).  As a senior, Nick became a vocal and very effective leader.  His work ethic continued to improve and he was the Upstate Eight Conference champion.   He capped off his senior year by running 14:46 at the State meet to lead us to a 4th place finish as a team.

Danny Pawola: 2007 – 8th as a junior in 14:33.4; 2008 - 5th as a senior in 14:31.3

During Danny’s freshman year, he first showed promise at the Sterling Invitational, sprinting out to lead the junior varsity race while holding on to a top ten finish.  It was at this point, I knew he had a competitive spirit.  However, he was not an outstanding talent by any means, running in the 16:40’s for 3 miles.  His sophomore year was a very frustrating season for Danny even though he managed to make our varsity squad.  He ran in the 15:30’s at Detweiller but slowly succumbed to sickness and tired legs.  It was the winter of 2006 that became legendary in NV lore.  Danny decided to model after Chris Derrick.  He put in a great base, lost ten pounds, and ran 9:16 for the 3200m, becoming one of the fastest sophomores in the country.  The summer before his junior year, he worked even harder and never missed a day of training.  His efforts did not go unrewarded as he was a consistent top-five finisher at major invites.  That year, Danny saved his best race for last, leading the chase pack at State and finishing 8th overall.  Danny’s senior year began with a great summer of training.  At the end of July, he was running workouts comparable to Chris Derrick from the summer before.  He started off the year winning the Hornet Red Devil Invitational.  However, the next two races he ran against super freshmen and finished second in those invites.  He looked great at Conference, while becoming NV’s fourth different individual winner.   Danny continued to run relatively well (but not his best races) through the State meet (finished 5th).  After the Nike Regional meet, he decided to change his diet (added more protein and ate better) and he surprised everyone by qualifying for Footlocker Nationals by placing 9th in the Regional meet.  He then shocked everyone by finishing 13th at the National Footlocker meet while earning the honor as NV’s second straight All-American (top 15 are regarded as All-American).

Jimmy Riddle (Jr.) 20th 2006 14:44.2

It was obvious from the very start that Jimmy Riddle was a very talented runner.  He joined us for the Oregon camp the summer before his freshman year and made the decision to run cross-country instead of play soccer.  Jimmy started off placing 2nd overall at the first invitational in the freshman race only to suffer a stress fracture in his leg a short time later.  During his sophomore year, he was able to finish the season as our 9th man, running in the low 16’s for 3 miles.  It was the track season of his sophomore year that gave him the confidence and will power to turn heads his junior year.  The summer before his junior year, he ran almost 1,000 miles and his hard work paid off.  He finished within one place of his teammate (Chris Derrick) at all meets except the State meet.  His State meet performance ranks him tied for #3 all-time in school and District 204 history.  Jimmy’s senior year was marred by a stress fracture that did not allow him to finish at his best in the State meet.  He was in the top 25 with less than 300m to go when he ran out of gas.  His effort was a true inspiration to us all.

Taylor Soltys, 2010, 15th place - 14:38; 21011, 10th place - 14:43

74th.  That was Taylor Solty’s place as a 7th grader in the conference meet while he was in middle school.   An avid swimmer through middle school, Taylor decided to give xc a try his freshman year.  It was immediately obvious that he was going to work hard, but he was only our 4th or 5th best freshman.  His sophomore year, he started to show that consistent, hard work does pay off and he won the fs Conference title going away and ran 15:42 at Detweiller that year.   Because he did not quite make our 12 man State roster, Taylor had a chip on his shoulder and worked even harder to make a difference his junior year.  He did just that by winning the varsity Conference title and was the IHSA Regional champion surprising many by beating a very good Lockport runner.  Taylor went on to run a perfect race at the IHSA State meet and finished 15th overall to achieve All-State status.  Taylor’s senior year had many ups and downs.  He had a rough track season his junior year due to an achilles injury and ankle/foot issues continued to plague him throughout the summer and fall.  However, like all great runners, he persevered and ran his best race of the year at the State meet, finishing 10th overall.  Taylor Soltys left a legacy of hard work and sacrifice that few before him have been able to match.  No one wanted to win as a team as much as Taylor, and his determination and high expectations will live on through all of us. 

David Wing (Sr.) 14:56, 2009 - 20th place

The one thing we always knew about David is that he had a lot of heart and he worked hard.  Throughout his years at NV, he was unable to completely show the fruits of his labor due to many injuries.  We knew he had potential for greatness, but we were not sure it would ever come to be.  As a sophomore, he ran just over 16:00 at Conference and illustrated that he would probably be a varsity contributor down the road.  As a junior, he was on the very edge of making our top 7, and because he did not quite make it, it served as extra motivation the next year to make a difference.  The summer before his senior year we saw a very determined young man willing to do all the necessary strengthening exercises and the long runs around his lake house on Saturdays.  This seemed to be ‘the cure’ and he was injury-free his entire senior year.    After our pack split up a bit at Hornet-Red Devil, David took the lead in keeping our pack together in future races behind Aaron Beattie.  It was David who was our pace-setter.  The team meant more to David than any individual accomplishment.  He ran with the pack until the last mile and then he was able to finish better than most.  In fact, at the 2009 State meet, David was the only runner in the entire field that ran his second 1.5 miles faster than the first.   David ran 14:56 in very warm conditions and would have probably run in the 14:40′s on a better day.

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