Adley Wilson has become one of East’s most successful freshman cross country runners. Recently, she qualified for and raced at state. At the 2024 IHSA Class 3A State XC Championships, Wilson competed in the three-mile and PR’d with a 17:49. She came in 54th, beating her expected place.
“Adley was 54th when she was ‘projected 76th’, she raced a [personal record of] 17:49 and is now the 3rd best freshmen time in all of Saints XC history,” said Coach Bradley Kaplan.
Wilson had a very successful season leading up to State. At the first two meets–Kane County and Leavey Invitational–Wilson ran in the freshman/sophomore category. She came first at both meets, becoming the County and Leavey Invite Champion. On Sept. 14, 2024, she ran varsity for the first time and came in 36th. For the rest of the season, she ran in the varsity category.
As sectionals and State neared, Wilson changed her training to prepare. “Adley had been tapering her training leading into the final weeks of the season,” Kaplan said. “ Her mileage had decreased, and her workout intensity increased. She clearly had her nutrition and sleep schedules in order for her to perform so well each week.”
Wilson explained that the physical aspect of training was not the only focus. “The week before I was focusing more on my thoughts about the race rather than the actual training. I had worked hard all season, and State was the time to show the rewards. Kaplan made it clear that he just wanted me to enjoy the experience and had no expectations for me.”
At sectionals, Wilson placed 19th, qualifying her for State, “The second I crossed the line at sectionals, even though I hadn’t seen the results, I just knew that I qualified. I saw my mom standing behind the fence at the finish line, she grabbed my hands and said, ‘You did it, girl. You’re going to Peoria,’” said Wilson. Freshman Leah Sutherland–who went with Wilson as an alternate–PR’d and placed 34th at sectionals with a time of 18:24.
At State, Wilson shaved two minutes off compared to that of her first race of the season. She explained how messages from family, teammates and friends encouraged her. “The whole morning, I was receiving texts from friends and teammates wishing me luck. When I was running on the course I could hear my family and friends cheering for me, pushing me to run harder,” Wilson said. “Running on the course knowing that so many of the people I cared about were there–that they decided to drive two hours just to watch me run in a field–gave me the confidence I needed to reach my goal.”
Wilson had an extremely successful freshman cross country season, from winning multiple races to running at State. Not only did her times improve, but so did other aspects of herself.
“As the season went on, I gained more and more confidence in myself and my abilities, and the more confidence I had, the faster I went. Early in the season, when we ran a meet at the state course, something inside me was telling me I would be back in Peoria for State,” Wilson said. “In moments when I didn’t reach my goals, I learned to deal with setbacks and rely on the team for support. This cross country season was an unforgettable experience, and I wouldn’t change a thing about it.”
Wilson said in the upcoming track season, she hopes to qualify for State, “While I don’t have a time goal quite yet, I hope to make it to State for the 1600m or 3200m. Next cross country season I hope to be back in Peoria and to just continue to improve.”
Kaplan also looks forward to improvement in Wilson, saying, “I look forward to Adley breaking time barriers of sub 12:00 minutes in the 3200m, sub 5:30 in the 1600m and sub 2:30 in the 800m. For cross country, I look forward to her becoming a top area runner for the next three seasons and earning more major awards come championship racing season.”
