Junior shaves nearly a minute off his previous best time
By Mike Ramczyk
Kyle DeRosier was having so much fun during an Oct. 21 sectional cross country race, a mile into the run he pumped his fist and “raised the roof” much like the Arsenio Hall Show from the 1990s.
After posting a 17:04 two weeks ago for his then-best time, DeRosier showed more of his enormous potential Saturday at the Arrowhead Sectional, cutting nearly 50 seconds for a 16:17 and a berth in this weekend’s state cross country meet.
Donning his lucky hat, a blue skull cap with Demon-like horns that DeRosier calls his “victory” hat and wears when he enjoys a big achievement, he could hardly believe how much of an improvement he made Saturday.
“I have never ran this fast, ever, not even close,” said DeRosier, who placed third overall. “I was definitely tired when I crossed the finish line. I was pretty happy, I thought I took fifth.”
“I changed my diet from eating sweets and meats and chicken wings, and I stuck to fruits and pasta. The course was really fast. The wind cooled me off and it was a pretty flat course.”
Burlington head coach Matt Nie said DeRosier, who advanced to sectionals last season, combined his talent with a strong desire this season.
“There was time in an early race where I saw a light turn on and he got the hunger,” Nie said “He has some natural talent, but what often happens is those runners just rely on their natural talent and don’t want to push themselves. By seeing him have that hunger, I knew this was a whole new runner. And having that balance between working hard and enjoying himself.”
“Kyle turned it on late, and went from eighth to third, and it was unreal. Especially for a runner who just a week ago ran a 17:04. Runners at that level, they’re only shaving off 5 or 10 seconds. To almost shave an entire minute is something I’ve never seen before.”
Demons post personal bests
Along with DeRosier, Nie said nearly three-quarters of the team accomplished a personal best Saturday.
Nie said the goal with running is personal improvement, not necessarily finishing in a top place.
“It’s an opportunity to race against yourself, and if you do that and have success, that’s what it’s all about, being better each day,” Nie said.
Burlington’s top girls finisher was senior Jessa Burling, who took 53rd with a 22:03. Junior Kelsey Gelden added a 22:16, and Rebecca Ehlen had a 23:13.
Senior Jaclyn Garwood ran a 24:41.
For the boys, who took ninth as a team, senior Declan Kipp placed 43rd with a time of 17:45.
Sophomores Quinn Adamek (18:43), Kodi Krueger (18:54) and Ben Ewald (18:57) were the Demons’ next three runners.
DeRosier isn’t satisfied with just making it to state. He’s already talking about qualifying for nationals, which would require a high placement at Saturday’s state meet, which will take place in Wisconsin Rapids.
“I want to break 16,” he said. “I don’t think I’ll make it to nationals, but I definitely want to be in the top 25 or 30.”
Does Nie think DeRosier’s rapid improvement will continue?
“The fact he has that desire, I guess I have to say after today that anything can happen,” Nie said. “It’s always rewarding as a coach to see a runner with natural talent not just rely on it, but also have that drive to push when you need to lay it down. He left it on the course today, and it
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