Special Tony's Take Senior Spotlight: Katelynne Hart

Katelynne Hart exemplified greatness from the first day she stepped foot on the soil of a running surface as a high schooler. I remember being at her first invitational (Hinsdale Hornet-Devil) as a freshman and during the post-race interview her gracious teammate Lindsey Payne quickly deflected away from her big win by saying, "my freshman buddy Katelynne got third- coming off of a knee injury..." it was just the beginning of the season- the first weekend in September of the year 2016 for the Glenbard West phenom. As great as Payne was then, she appeared to anoint Hart as the queen heir to the distance throne. That was the last time that Hart lost to an Illinois runner on state cross country soil. 

Hart would go on to win four state cross country championships as well as two Footlocker National runner-up titles. The list of accomplishments is so long that I could easily write another 1000 words on them alone.

Moreover, Hart is a genuine young lady who by our MileSplit IL metrics broke the analytics over the past four years. In other words, she was the most popular athlete in our sport during her time. But moreover, her kind spirit has made a favorite among her competitors as well. I can't imagine asking for an autograph from someone that beat me by 30 seconds in a track race. But Hart had that kind of effect on people.

Although I am saddened to not being able to cover KK Hart one last season during the track season, I will be forever grateful to say that I witnessed the greatest distance runner in state history. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for her down the road!