Cross Country notes: Back to feeling her best, Lyons senior Kate Dickman running as good as ever

Lyons Township senior Kate Dickman hoped to repeat as a Class 3A all-state girls cross country finisher in 2019.

After her team-best 54th-place finish for the Lions, Dickman soon discovered how well she actually performed.

Dickman found out she had been anemic all season. By that time, her ferritin level was 5, half of the normal-range low for teenage females.

“I was just happy to finally figure it out and know it was something. That it just wasn’t me, a mental block or something,” Dickman said. “Racing has been coming a lot easier than it did last year. I’ve just been trying to have fun every race and be competitive because last year I didn’t really have the same ability to do that.”

Dickman looks as good as ever. She has won the Lions’ three duals against West Suburban Conference Silver opponents with all-state caliber talent – Hinsdale Central, Glenbard West and Downers Grove North – by 5, 17 and 9 seconds, respectively.

A three-time state competitor who was 16th in 2018, Dickman could have become only the program’s third multiple top-25 all-state performer. Dickman recuperated through indoor track until that was ended in March by the pandemic. She was headed toward her third all-state honors – if not a state championship – with the 3,200-meter relay.

“It was fun to crank some 800s in track and then in the summer I was really feeling 100 percent,” Dickman said.

It’s especially exciting that Dickman has excelled during the second half of her cross country victories.

“After finding out I was so anemic, I was mentally stronger than I thought,” Dickman said. “I’ve been working on pushing the second half and trying to stay, not conservative, but feeling out the race the first mile and then see what I could do the second half.”

Hinsdale Central welcomes back Mekla

Hinsdale Central fourth-year varsity boys runner Piyush Mekla returned to the lineup Sept. 20 and made a huge difference.

He was part of the Red Devils’ 5-6-7-8-9 finish that helped them edge York 27-30 at Katherine Legge Memorial Park.

While sophomore Dan Watcke won (13:49 for 2.75 miles), junior Colby Revord (14:25), Mekla (14:28), senior Henning Ley (14:28), junior Henry Gruber (14:31) and sophomore Jesse Gamboa (14:39) also arrived ahead of the Dukes’ No. 4 finisher.

“My lower back has kind of been stiffening up, usually when I go at a faster pace. I really had to fight it mentally, even though it came in the middle of the race,” Mekla said. “I made sure I stuck with Colby and Henning. Just staying with them will motivate them and being with them will motivate myself.”

Beating York, third in Class 3A last year, was exhilarating for the Red Devils. Assistant coach Noah Lawrence, who trains the varsity, competed for York from 1994-97.

“Especially given the circumstances of this season, not having the big (Saturday) invites to really gauge where we are in the state, it’s definitely an experience,” Mekla said. “(Lawrence) always has been talking that this is ‘old’ cross country, when dual meets were really a big thing. Those head-to-head matches were as hyped as an invitational down in Peoria.”

As a freshman, Mekla ran at regionals and sectionals for the Red Devils’ 2017 fourth-place state team.

In 2018, the Red Devils earned the sectional’s last state-qualifying spot by three points. Injured senior standout Alec Hill had just rejoined the lineup. The funeral for Beatrix Lawrence, the coach’s 13-month twin daughter, was the day before.

“We really put our hearts into it, especially because Coach Lawrence wasn’t there,” Mekla said. “That was definitely a bigger moment – I mean fourth in state is amazing – but just the emotion into that sectionals race in 2018 was unmatched.”