Carrollton's Steckel makes his mark

When Carrollton�s Charlie Helton ran a time of 16:19 approximately 24 years ago, he probably knew that his 3.0 mile time at the 1983 Class A regional would eventually be topped. He probably never suspected he would coach the athlete that shattered his record. David Steckel was more than up to the task, dashing to a time of 16:00 on a bright, crisp, sunny day in Peoria�s Detweiller Park. Besides breaking the record, Steckel finished 31st overall and only 13 seconds from a medal and a top 25 finish that would have earned all-state honors. �He is the first athlete that I have ever had that did better than I expected,� said Helton. �I would have been happy with a top 50 performance. He really stepped up. He was not intimidated, which often happens with athletes in their first year. He runs aggressively and I fully expect him to place in the top 25 next year.� Helton held the school record for a long time, but it is important to note that Carrollton did not have a cross country team for many years. In 1983 Helton was the only athlete, and the program quickly died. In 2001 he restarted the program, and Steckel is Carrollton�s first athlete to advance to the state finals. �One of my goals is to be here with a team next year,� said Steckel. �I did not really think about the record. I wanted to run a 16:15. It did not really hit me that this is the best time in the history of Carrollton until about 20 minutes after the race. It is pretty overwhelming.� It was Steckel�s best time by over 40 seconds. He is a first year performer for Carrollton. Helton�s record was run at the Franklin Outing Club, where Franklin High School holds its home meets. Pittsfield freshman Natalie Hamilton placed 35th overall in the Class A girls competition, finishing the race in 19:01. To finish in the top 25, Hamilton would have needed to run faster than 18:47. The girls run a 3.0 mile course as well. �She ran amazing. I could not be happier,� said Pittsfield�s head coach Kate Lagemann. She struggled in the last 800 meters because she ran very aggressively at the beginning of the race. She is already fired up for next year. She did not even want to go the awards.� In Class AA, the Jacksonville tandem of Sam Lee and Tyson Kinsley finished their year by placing in the top 100. Lee, a senior, finished the race in 16:11, which was good for 81st place. Kinsley, a sophomore, checked in 18 seconds later at 16:29. He was 97th overall. �A realistic goal would have been in the top 75 for both,� said Coach Breck Van Bebber, Jacksonville�s head coach. �Sam is a great kid and a throwback to the athletes of old. He is a four sport athlete at JHS. He left his mark on this program. Tyson should be the leader and centerpiece of our program next year. He thrives on competition. We are looking forward to having him back.� The pair started in box 18, which was virtually in the center of the course. On their inside were 17 other boxes, and on their outside, 11 more. With the sharp turn after the first 500 meters, they were slightly behind where they wanted to be. Lee finished only two seconds from the top 75 while Kinsley was 19 seconds away.