How this Richwoods freshman became one of the state's best sprinters

DUNLAP — Lena Jackson might be on track to be a generational athlete for Richwoods.

The high school freshman certainly is generating high excitement and high expectations in the 100- and 200-meter sprints.

At 5-foot-9 and mostly legs that blur down the track like spokes on a bicycle at high speed, Jackson swept to victories in the 100 in :12.22 and the 200 in :25.33 on Wednesday in the Illinois High School Association Class 2A girls track and field Dunlap Sectional.

"Seven Hicks," Richwoods coach Matt Luckey said, referring to the Illinois State athlete and former Richwoods sprinter (and state champion with Peoria Heights) when asked for a great runner to whom Jackson would compare. "Lena is really, really good. It's electric watching her run. She's the best track athlete I've ever coached."

Who's going to state? Peoria-area girls track athletes who advanced from IHSA sectionals

And Jackson is a freshman. Just 14 years old.

"Winning is exciting for me," she said, standing in the infield at Dunlap, keeping a watchful eye on her sister and Richwoods teammate, Mia Jackson, as she raced to a 100 hurdles win. "The whole world for me is track."

For much of this season, she has been on top of that world with the best 100 and 200 times in the state. After Wednesday's events, in which she set personal records in the 100 and 200, her times are second only to Chicago Lindblom's Symone Frison (:12.21) in the 100 and Cahokia's Kayda Austin (:25.13) in the 200.

No freshman has won a state title in the 100 or 200 in Class 2A since the IHSA went to a three-class format in 2008-09.

More: Peoria-area girls track and field athletes who could win an IHSA state title

The last one to do it in Class 2A — in the old two-class system where Richwoods traditionally competed in the larger class — was Alexandria Anderson of Chicago Morgan Park, who swept to titles in the 100 in :11.83 and the 200 in :24.35 in 2001-02.

So yeah, it's been a generation.

Run, Lena, run

"Going to state is kind of nerve-wracking, but exciting," Jackson said. "My last two state finals were wiped out by COVID in the IESA. So I've been waiting a long time for this chance."

Jackson grew up in Peoria with her sister, Mia, and their parents, Alyce and Paul.

She was a soccer player for a minute. "I was 7 or 8, maybe, but one of my friends on the soccer team invited me to her track practice with a club team called One Motion, in East Peoria," Jackson said. "I ran during that practice, I remember it was July and so hot. The coaches saw me run and were shocked."

And just like that, she was an ex-soccer player.

"She could be in any sport and excel," said Alyce Jackson, who serves as manager of programs for the Peoria Public Library. "Mia does hurdles, Lena does sprints, they both are natural talents.

"Lena is shy, but she can be feisty and she's super smart."

The girls went to Washington Gifted Middle School in Peoria before moving on to Richwoods. Lena Jackson stayed on with One Motion where, in a small-world coincidence, one of her club coaches was Ish Hicks — the father of Seven Hicks.

In IESA competition, Lena had all the challenge she needed right in her own family.

"I ran against Mia in IESA meets," she said, grinning. "She was two years older. I didn't win those."

Paul Jackson, meanwhile, was no stranger to track, either. The Caterpillar exec was once a hurdler who set school records at Edison Junior High in Rock Island before moving on to football.

"Feed the Cats"

Luckey has been training his Richwoods athletes in part with concepts from legendary Plainfield North High School coach Tony Holler, who created a video with new approaches to training sprinters called "Feed the Cats."

It's worked for Jackson. Only a freshman, her 100 time Wednesday (:12.22) was just shy of the :12.21 Seven Hicks won the Class 1A state title with in 2018. Jackson's :25.33 time in the 200 is already better than Hicks' state-championship effort of :25.50.

"Lena is so laid back, only a freshman with so much potential," Luckey said. "She goes with the flow. But when it's go-time, her face changes, she's a different person on the track. Even in practice, if someone runs a great time, she'll get out there and attack it, determined to beat it."

A big day in Dunlap

Jackson swept to victories Wednesday in the 100 and 200 with personal records in both.

But she also anchored Richwoods' 4x100 team, which zipped to a first-place finish in :48.69.

And she anchored Richwoods' 4x200 relay team to a first-place finish in 1:43.63.

She has earned first-place decisions in 19 of 23 races this season in the 100, 200 and relays.

The Knights finished second to Normal U-High in the Dunlap Sectional, followed by Morton, Dunlap and Metamora in the top five of the 16-team event.

More: Here's where Peoria-area teams are headed for IHSA girls track and field sectionals

"My sister was on the 4x100 relay team that won state last year," Jackson said. "I like the relays, they feel like a small family, fun to be part of.

"I've had good guidance every step from the first day I was on a track. My coaches at One Motion put me into sprints — distance events just weren't for me."

And now here she is at age 14, with a long way to go yet in her high school career.

Where will it lead her?

"I want to use running to get into college," Jackson said. "And I want to focus on getting to the finish line, in first."

Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. Reach him at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @icetimecleve.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: IHSA sectional track: Richwoods sprinter becomes state title contender