Athlete of the Week: Bertoli, Rohrer



BOYS WINNER: Jackson Bertoli - Junior @ Terre Haute South Vigo

Terre Haute South Vigo junior Jackson Bertoli broke the sixteen minute mark two times in 2011. Three meets into 2012 and he has already surpassed that mark. He kicked off the season with a 15:46.90 win at the Purdue High School Invitational and followed that up with a better time of 15:44.50 and a runner-up finish at the Terre Haute State Preview. Not to be outdone, Bertoli went even lower and set a new personal best at the Brown County Invitational. Coach Kyle Walsh says he knew there was a high level of competition and if his pupil could get the win it would be a huge confidence boost.

"Last year, he placed 13th running a personal best of 15:47. The winner was under 15:20 so we were prepared for a fast start. The muddy conditions prohibited a fast race, but Jackson was able to pull away from the group the second half of the race."

Three weeks into the season Bertoli has two wins and a second place finish to Jacob Thomson who is nationally ranked and one of the top runners in the Kentucky. Walsh knows Bertoli might not be able use those moves and pull away against the same runners later in the season. Bertoli continues to impress him with his confidence against tough competition.

"Bertoli has a "no fear" attitude and he won't back down. He may get beat to the finish line, but it is going to take a great effort to outrun him because he will not quit. His mindset has changed dramatically and he deals with adversity well. He's become a great leader for our team and most importantly, he has figured out how to keep a well balanced life and everything is put into perspective for him."

During the outdoor track season, Bertoli posted a time of 9:00 for 3200 meters. The mark earned him All-State honors. It also raised the eyebrows of Coach Walsh and caused the coaching staff to raise the bar and their expectations for the junior .Walsh says this summer Bertoli has been flawless building his base and he has used that to compete into the beginning of the season which he feels is the toughest training period they have.

"All coaches have different philosophies on how to race their athletes. Personally I do not want to limit and over coach Jackson. He has looked extremely comfortable in every meet this year. These meets along the way are fitness testers and learning experiences with different race strategies to see where we can improve."

Walsh says they have been keeping their mileage up while adding in harder workouts on top of their once a week meets. He is very impressed with Bertoli's training plan thus far and the progress he is showing and says if he continues on this road he can have a very special junior cross country season. For now they are just focusing on the task at hand on a day to day and week by week basis.

"Right now just enjoying the journey of this season. We continually talk about taking it all in and not forgetting the fun part of the sport. By doing this, Jackson will be ready to continue stepping up throughout the post season, into the state meet, and hopefully even more racing in November.  I’m excited to watch him continue to progress."


Jackson's Athlete Profile


GIRLS WINNER: Anna Rohrer - Sophomore @ Mishawaka

Anna Rohrer didn't have quite the freshman season she was hoping for after breaking her foot in several places. In 2012, the Mishwaka sophomore is back and on a mission to prove she belongs as one of the state's top runners. Coach Chris Kowalewsk has limited her miles to under 35 per week, but added in a lot of crass training. A gait analysis showed over-striding so Rohrer got to work on her form and getting stronger. Those improvements have given her success this season.

Rohher has run two times and has two wins to her credit. The team traveled to Michigan for the first meet of the season and the sophomore destroyed the field winning by more than 40 seconds over Maddie Woods of Penn in a new personal best time of 17:46.00 The next week, the same result, another 40 second win over Woods. Woods is no slouch either after finishing 10th at state last year. Coach Kowalewski says winning and winning big is something Rohrer isn't quite used to.

"She tells me it doesn't feel like racing and that it feels funny being so far in front. Anna (like many other elite female distance runners) is an honor roll student who has a high level of motivation and concentration. She pushes herself hard in practice so that racing hard comes easy."

Though Woods has been her toughest competition to date, the competition will heat up the next two weekends at the New Prairie and Culver Invite. There she will go against defending state champ and nationally ranked Ashley Erba of Warsaw. It's an experience Kowalewski says Rohrer is looking forward to.

"She is really excited to run against a whole pack of quality girls that were top in the state last year. We're keeping open ended expectations, just compete and give your best. She (hopefully) has a long season ahead of her so we are trying not to get up too much for any race. We try to focus on the process rather than the results."

Although, Mishawaka has several senior leaders on the team, Rohrer leads by example.  The sophomore runs with the boys team, but Coach Kowalewski says she always in the back to cheer the girls on as well. He adds that she is one of the most level headed  teenagers he has known or coached.

"I noticed her mental toughness was at a higher level than others before her physical skills started to shine through. When she told me the summer of her freshman year that after she has a bad race she just moves on and gets ready for the next race I knew I had a champion in the head. We're both  pleasantly surprised how much she has improved this season. We knew she was better, but a couple of sub 18 minute performances shocked even  us."

The season is young and they both know that. That is why even after a great start they aren't getting caught up in the rankings and the hype. Coach Kowaleski says it might be cliche but they are just taking it one race at a time.

"We know that the place on October 27th is the only one that matters. Anna started out fast last year as a freshman before she got hurt, so she is cautious not to get ahead of herself."
 

Anna's Athlete Profile