Sandwich junior Sunny Weber is the Record Newspapers girls cross country Athlete of the Year

It’s hard to fathom now, but there was a time when Sandwich junior Sunny Weber was an unknown on the high school running scene.

That lasted one race.

It was two Augusts ago that Weber, then just days into her freshman year at Sandwich, posted a stunning win in her first high school race at the Morris Early Bird Invite.

“I still remember that meet,” Weber said. “I kind of gaslight believed in myself that I could do that with more races.”

Weber had little reason to doubt herself. She has never looked back since that first high school race.

She took second place in Class 1A as a freshman, third in Class 2A as a sophomore. Weber’s been a two-time medalist in track and field both as a freshman and sophomore, the highlight a Class 2A 3,200-meter state championship last May.

Weber added school history to her legacy last month.

Winning the Class 2A state cross country championship in a personal record 16 minutes, 11.27 seconds, Weber became Sandwich’s first state champion in girls cross country.

“I realized throughout the race with 800 to go that I could win, and it made me really happy,” Weber said. “At the finish line it still hadn’t sunk in yet. It was something that I was waiting for all year and an amazing feeling of accomplishment.”

It capped off an unbeaten season for the Sandwich junior, the Record Newspapers’ Girls Cross Country Athlete of the Year.

It started at Detweiller at Dark, site of the state meet, in July, Weber winning in 16:32.20. She returned to Peoria to win the First to the Finish Invitational in September in 16:50.7, won the prestigious Naperville North Twilight Invitational in October and then swept conference, regional and sectional meets – saving her best time for last.

“I was scared for the time I ran at Detweiller at Dark. I thought I would be at a standstill and peak for that race,” Weber said. “Luckily I was able to peak for that state race.”

Weber didn’t take any chances at the halfway point of the state race.

She surged into first place and did not let up, topping her previous best of 16:27.9 Weber ran at the Twilight Invitational.

“Honestly, the whole season my goal was to be able to win state, but I second guess myself a lot,” Weber said. “Just being able to follow the game plan that the coach had in mind for me, being able to do that, it made me push myself that much harder.”

Weber ended up winning going away, more than 16 seconds faster than runner-up Annika Swan of St. Ignatius, not that she necessarily noticed.

“It was in my head with a mile to go that she was right behind me,” Weber said. “I didn’t know how far behind me she was, but I might have looked with 800 meters to go. I could hear the people cheering her on. I had to push through the pain and ignore it.”

It was gratifying to Weber to finish her season in the fashion she did.

As a sophomore, she felt her legs were really heavy throughout the whole season, which she attributes to all her training, and she had to take some time off. This year she felt more smooth and where she needed to be.

Weber isn’t done with cross country season, either.

She plans to run at the Foot Locker Midwest Regional on Nov. 30 at Wisconsin-Parkside in Kenosha, Wisc., with hopes of making nationals in December in San Diego.

“I knew I was putting myself in a good spot, but I didn’t realize how,” she said. “My coaches always gives me splits and explain it to you, but it never sunk in, that all these times in the workouts could hit. Being able to do it in the race, it makes me feel so accomplished and happy.”