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Kelly expected to pace Ramblers
Chris Kelly (2170) and Loyola begin the season Saturday at Peoria's Detweiller Park. | Contributor
Updated: October 14, 2012 1:13PM
WILMETTE
Chris Kelly will find out Saturday what it’s like to be Loyola’s leader.
Now that pace-setters Todd Ford and William Hague are off running at college, the senior is the returner with the most experience and he’s expected to be the team’s headliner when Loyola competes at its first invitational of the season at Peoria’s Detweiller Park, site of the state meet.
“I learned a lot the past few years,” said Kelly, who lives in Northfield. “It was incredible running behind those two guys and always trying to close the gap.
“It’s odd now not having those veterans around and knowing I have to set an example for the team.”
Kelly, who’s running for the third time at this meet, doesn’t plan to do much differently. He said he’s going to attack the race to the best of his abilities.
“It’s going to be a good starting point for me and for us,” Kelly said. “It’s a race where you can gauge yourself and the caliber of talent you have on the team.”
Loyola’s two other runners with experience at the state meet are senior Jaquan Grier and junior Teddy Brombach. Grier’s race at Detweiller Park last November was his only one as a member of the team’s top seven.
“He ran well at the end of last year and is now part of our 1-2 punch,” Loyola coach Dan Seeberg said. “It remains to be seen where Jaquan and Chris are at the end of the year, but they both are looking good. We are excited.”
Senior Jack Ball, junior Matt Randolph, junior Matt Scherer, sophomore Christian Swenson and sophomore Spencer Kelly are the rest of the runners Seeberg will count on this season.
Spencer Kelly (no relation to Chris) might have the most upside of any of the Ramblers.
“He’s running like he can be the top guy on the team,” Seeberg said.
Seeberg said the Ramblers will bring a conservative game plan to Detweiller Park and do their best to all run together.
“I think of ourselves as a pack team,” Seeberg said. “We will live and die with how we do in our split. That was not true of last year’s team. We have a chance to have a gap of about 30 seconds, and I haven’t had that in recent years.
“But we have to figure out what we can do, and it starts Saturday. It will be an interesting evolution.” ~.
