ROCKTON — Her Hononegah coaches in track and field and cross country all described Allyson Niedfeldt as a nose-to-the-grindstone competitor who when she wasn’t closely timing her workouts was planning strategy for her races.
While it’s true her competitive fire and subsequent achievements on the course and track led to her signing on Wednesday with Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Niedfeldt says she also just plain loves to run.
For her, everything is a fun run and she expects that to continue now that she has found the starting line for her collegiate career.
“Obviously I love the location, but it’s more than that,” the senior said of the campus six hours south of Hononegah High School. “The teammates there were welcoming and the coaches were the exact fit I was looking for. I’m looking forward to seeing how much I can grow in the next four years.”
The NCAA Division I Salukis compete in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Niedfeldt came to Hononegah with quite an athletic background.
“She has enjoyed being active all the time,” said her father, Dan Niedfeldt. “Before high school she played basketball and golf, ran track, did cross country and even played some hockey way back when. When she got to high school there was never any question that she didn’t want to do three sports. Track and cross country sort of go together and she loved basketball. She didn’t want to give anything up.”
Niedfeldt was a three-sport athlete himself at Beloit Memorial so he knew what she was getting herself into.
“We didn’t push her to do anything she didn’t want to, but I was glad she wanted to do it,” he said. “She made her own decision about college, too, and we’re glad she made this choice.”
Niedfeldt has competed on the varsity in all three sports and at a high level. She has received all-NIC-10 recognition in each and is enjoying a stellar senior year. She qualified for the IHSA 3A State Cross Country Championships at Detweiler Park last November and finished 55th in 18:04.71.
This is also her fourth season on the varsity basketball team.
“She’s been a contributor to four conference championships,” head basketball coach Jason Brunke said, citing her competitiveness, quickness and the ability to be one of the hottest outside shooters around.
Last season, she earned All-NIC-10 Special Mention after connecting on 60 3-pointers and 81.6 percent of her free throws. She also earned Beloit Daily News All-Area Second Team honors.
She ranks among the best track distance runners at Hononegah, qualifying for the IHSA 3A State Championships on the 4x800 relay in 2023. Her best times in the 1600 are 5:15.29 outdoors and 5:20.50 indoors. In the open 800, she has run 2:26.22 indoors and 2:27.74 outdoors. she has run 11:28.55 in the 3200.
While competing at a high level in three sports is time-consuming, Niedfeldt said she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I sort of love the grind,” she said. “It makes me feel guilty if I don’t run or I don’t pick up a basketball and practice shooting. The work has paid off. I had a lot of success in cross country and I’m excited about us winning another conference basketball title. My goal for track is to make it to state in the 1600. I just missed last year.”
One of the top students in her class, Niedfeldt will gear her college studies toward eventually becoming an orthodontist.
Most Popular
Comments / 0