Senior Three-Sport Athlete Allison Van Kley Gears Up for Cross Country New Prairie Invitational on Saturday

Patrick Mochen
Onwardtrojans.com

Chesterton Senior Allison Van Kley, who just broke 20 minutes in the Eagle Classic cross country race with a 19:55.4, will run on Saturday in the New Prairie Invitational, a course that is known for its hills.
Van Kley, a three-sport athlete, running cross country and track and playing basketball in between, is one of four Chesterton runners to break 20 last weekend, joining fellow senior Aubrey Bamber and sophomores Paige Clancy and Hannah Haring. Van Kley has been a varsity runner for four seasons, and has previously been a part of the state 4x800 meter relay. Last year, her track season was hampered by a lower leg injury so she couldn’t be a part of the 4x800 meter team. A summer of work to bounce back from her injury has been rewarding for Van Kley.
“Over the summer, I could tell I was set back in my training and my endurance,” Van Kley said, “so I ran twice a day on most days and that helped me get into better shape.”
Not only running over the summer, but also playing basketball.
“Our June is so crazy,” girls basketball coach Candy Wilson said. “We play a lot. We have summer league. We went to the Charlie Hughes event. We went to a team camp at Indiana Wesleyan University. We went down to Lafayette. She’s taken her injury in stride. It didn’t rock her world, she just focused on rehab. She’s no nonsense. She takes things seriously.”
Van Kley has been a standout defensive player for the basketball team, using her length to her advantage, and Coach Wilson says she is starting to become a scoring threat for the Trojans.
Although it is her last year of cross country, this will likely not be the final time Van Kley runs at New Prairie. The same course is used for the regional meet.
“New Prairie is a big deal every year, thousands of people run,” Van Kley said, “and it's kind of like our preview for regionals, feel the course, figure out a race strategy. It’s a great cross country course, that’s why they have regionals there and semi-state was there when it was still a thing. A lot of people think it’s challenging, but last year I PR’d there, so you just have to know how to run it. Lots of hills, but also lots of downhills. It’s just a fun course to run.”
Bamber, who has been Van Kley's teammate in all three sports, although Bamber tried cross country for the first time last year and has decided to drop basketball this year, says that a lot of her success this season can be attributed to Van Kley.
“I like Allison because she is a very good kid all around,” Bamber said. “She is very nice, smart, and athletic, which makes a perfect best friend. This year we want to make it to state, and she will play a huge role in that. For track, I hope we can be in the state 4x8 together and we can both accomplish what I know we are capable of. I have run almost every cross country workout with her and one thing about her and me is that we push each other. We will both sprint the last rep, and make sure we are hitting the right paces. This helps us become faster in the meets like we have so far.”