Bursting onto the scene her freshman year, senior Alexis Chadek impressed her coaches and teammates with her competitive spirit and leadership ability. Now, less than a year removed from winning a state title in the 800 with a time of 2:14.93, Chadek recently found out she has qualified with the best of the best to compete at the New Balance Nationals Indoor Meet later this spring.
This indoor track & field event, held in Boston, Mass., will take place between March 12-15 and only invites the best high school track athletes from across the entire country.
“I’m just ready to get the most out of this opportunity,” Chadek said. “I’m excited to see how I perform against everyone else.”
Since starting her running career at PLHS, Chadek wasted no time settling in, immediately winning medals and even setting school records during her freshman year. Chadek has since joined a small group of girls in the history of Class A to win medals every year of their high school cross country careers, becoming just the second Monarch in history to achieve this rare feat.
“From the start, I knew she was a competitor,” track and field coach Mrs. Abigail Reimer said. “Even when tired or when the weather was bad, she always competed hard in every race.”
Despite her successes, Chadek still has had to overcome significant challenges. From having to take on new roles to battling through injuries, Chadek used these opportunities to grow both as an athlete and as a person.
“She had a much more challenging sophomore year, which really challenged her mentally and emotionally,” Reimer said. “I’ve seen her grow a lot in her perseverance and just having a stronger mindset in the sport.”
Holding herself to a high standard, Chadek strives to grow each and every day with her abilities. She commits herself to going through a strict daily routine, consisting of waking up early in the morning, going on multiple runs and keeping herself hydrated with liquid IVs. Along with these regular habits, she also has some more outlandish rituals as well.
“I have a lot of weird superstitions,” Chadek said. “I even have holes in my socks, and I’ve worn the same ones since freshman year.”
Growing into the more matured version of herself, Chadek acts as a role model both on and off the track. Whether it is giving pointers to help her teammates be faster, or just being herself and hyping them up, Chadek acts as the leader of her team.
“She’s just such a great teammate,” cross country head coach Mr. Shawn Gray said. “She just brings a lot in terms of her personality and her humor and support, too.”
Walking into the New Balance Nationals, Chadek will be entering a completely new environment, facing off against competition like she’s never faced before. Despite how intimidating it may be, Chadek is surrounded by peers who have nothing but full confidence in her abilities.
“My coaches have all been really supportive,” Chadek said. “They’ve all been super happy for me, they want to see my success, and have been giving me advice.”
Whatever it takes for her to succeed, even if it includes her doing all of her pre-race superstitions, Chadek is prepared to walk into Boston ready to represent PLHS in a big way against some of the best high school athletes in the United States.
