In high school, it is unusual to see underclassmen have major contributions in varsity sports. However; in the case of the Bellwood-Antis cross country team, sophomores Blake Pennington and Julie Kraft are doing more than contributing.
For this reason, Julie and Blake are the BluePrints Athletes of the week.
Julie and Blake routinely switch between finishing first and second for the girls team in dual meets. The best part of it all is that they both root for each other and don’t let the competitiveness drive them apart.
“I love sharing my achievements with Julie! We both encourage each other and seeing her do well makes me happy,” Julie said. “She not only pushes me to become a better runner, but also a more positive person.”
Blake has been running cross country since 7th grade; however, Julie only started running last year. Going into the season, Julie did not expect to have as much success as she is having.
“When I first joined last year I did not expect to contribute as much as I am now,” she said.
Both girls push each other to be better, Blake says,
“Julie has a positive attitude, and that drives me to run like her.” Julie and Blake run similar times so they are usually pacing off of each other, which is what Julie contributes some of her success to.
Second-year coach Jennifer Soisson appreciates the unique qualities each runner brings to the team.
“Blake and Julie are exciting to watch because you can see how much they both love running and competing,” she said. “Blake has been a positive leader for the team this year. She has been instrumental in guiding workouts and keeping her teammates focused on the end goal. Julie loves running and brings that lightheartedness to the team. She models a balance of fun and hard work. They do an incredible job of encouraging and pushing each other during races. They show up every day in the best way possible. Their commitment to the team’s success has driven their individual success this season.”
Julie and Blake are not only cross country teammates, but also swim for the Tyrone/Bellwood-Antis co-op swim team. In the spring, they compete on B-A’s track and field team. These two spend a lot of time working together in their sports, which helps explain their great friendship and amazing chemistry.
Both girls are looking forward to the District 6 championship meet this Saturday, where they hope to attain new PRs. Both girls are hoping that they can make it to states.
