Jill Humecke '16 Recruiting Profile

My name is Jill Humecke, and I currently attend Wheaton North High School in Wheaton, IL (class of 2016). I started cross country my 8th grade year, and although I was new to the running community and just your average middle school runner, I decided to stick with cross country, and then became sucked into the track community as well. Now, I know that my decision then was one of the best decisions i ever made.

Going into my freshman year, we had our first 3 mile time trial. My time ended up being around 28 minutes. My coaches saw potential in me though. They talked to me about how I could improve my training, and become a better runner. I quickly improved. By the time our first meet rolled around, I had cut my time down to 21 minutes. I started to train with some of the varsity runners, and I began to race in the varsity races as well. By the end of my freshman year, I had shaved down about 9 minutes from my three mile time, with a time of 19:00 at our Regional meet of 2012.

As track season started, I became faster and faster. I also began to love running even more. The feelings I have about track are feelings that can only be described as a love for the sport. There's something about the gun going off, giving your all, sprinting past the finish line, or passing the baton to one of your beloved teammates that makes me fall in love with Track and Field more and more every time I race.

During cross country, my sophomore year (2013), I had become a sort of leader for our team. While I was only an underclassman still, I took on responsibilities with the upperclassman, and I helped lead our team through many memories and smiles as our team's number one runner for that season. I ran my personal record for 3 miles that season, which is 18:36. I was then voted to be the captain of the cross country team for my junior and senior year. Being a captain is a major accomplishment, and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to help lead the team that I love. The bond that i share with the girls on my team is like no other. Our team is one giant family, and every girl on it is one of my sisters. I love each and every one of them.

I see every new season as an opportunity for me to improve and to accomplish new goals. I had some setbacks during 2014. Track season, I fell to the trap of Patellar Tendonitis, but I was determined to not let this hold me back from competing at my best. I still ran many personal bests that season, including 1:03 for the 400m, 2:23 for the 800m, 5:29 during indoor season for the 1600, and 11:52 for the 3200. Later that year, I tore my TFL the second meet into cross country, which took me out for a month of the season. I still showed up to practice every day to strengthen my muscles and to try to keep in shape, motivated to heal myself so I could race at Regionals and Sectionals (which I did end up competing in). Before I was injured, I didn't know how much running truly meant to me. I just went through the motions, and took my varsity spot for granted. Now I know that any meet could be my last, so I put 100% into all of my workouts and races now. I cannot afford to take any race for granted, since any race could be my last. I am determined to become a better runner each and every day, and it has become a huge part of my life. My team is my family, and running is my passion.

Thank you for taking the time to view my profile.