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To be considered All-State, a runner must place in the
top 25 in the
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 three
runners in our history to finish all-state two times.
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 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
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
David Wing (right) 20th in 14:46 |
All-State Runners
(alphabetical order) Ben Barron ·
2002 – 24th in 15:02 Aaron Beattie ·
2007 – 13th in 14:44.2 ·
2009 – 4th in 14:31 Chris Derrick ·
2006 – 3rd in 14:21.6
Nick Dunn ·
2003 – 11th in 14:46 Danny Pawola ·
2007 – 8th in 14:33.4 ·
2008 – 5th in 14:31.3 Jimmy Riddle ·
2006 – 20th in 14:44.2 David Wing
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