GLEN ELLYN – Katelynne Hart sat at a table covered in Glenbard West green and white, and unzipped a black and white jacket to reveal a long-sleeved shirt with her college choice.

It's the maize and blue.

Hart, on the short list of the greatest high school runners in Illinois history, announced on Wednesday she will run cross country and track at Michigan.

Hart first made the decision last Thursday, and made it public in front of a gathering of Glenbard West teammates, coaches and family at the school's Elliott Library.

"When it came down to it, I had to follow my heart and go to a place that I felt I would be challenged," said Hart, a senior. "This is a place I feel that I will be comfortable and happy."

Hart considered upwards of 15 schools, and took multiple unofficial visits during the spring and summer. She narrowed it to five – Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, North Carolina and Colorado. She visited North Carolina and Colorado first, then Michigan followed by the others.

In the end, the pull to remain in the Midwest was great.

"It was a very tough choice, it definitely took me longer than I anticipated to make the decision," said Hart, who made two visits to Michigan. "They are all great schools but I think there is something to be said about staying in the Midwest and Midwestern people. I really liked the team there and thought staying in the Midwest was going to be a priority."

Hart holds 10 Illinois Class 3A state championships – three titles in cross country, seven in track. Last spring she became just the second girl in Illinois history – first in the state's largest class – to win the 800, 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs at the same state meet.

She was runner-up at Footlocker Nationals in San Diego in 2017 and 2018.

Hart, the three-time champion in state cross country, has only lost two races in the state of Illinois, and has not lost a race since Sept. 3, 2016. Next month Hart can become the first four-time state champion in cross country since 1987.

"She is certainly on the Mt. Rushmore of the greats in Illinois, of the top athletes in track and field and cross country," said Glenbard West girls cross country coach Paul Hass said.

Her future, though, was not a foregone conclusion to be in running.

Hart, whose dad Chris was the starting quarterback for Glenbard West's first state football championship in 1983, first did gymnastics.

She was a stellar soccer player. Hart ran a 4:56 metric mile in eighth grade at Hadley Junior High, but Hass admitted he had to do the hard sell to make her stick with running as the top sport.

Once that commitment was made, it was indeed a commitment.

Hart, a stellar student who plans to study psychology or nutrition at Michigan, is in bed by 8 p.m. each night. She is up early for runs, and treats every aspect of her training and nutrition with diligence.

"She does everything you ask," Hass said. "She has the work ethic, combined with the amazing talent, to be where she is."

Hart joins a Michigan program that is currently ranked eighth in Division I cross country.

Michigan women's track/cross country coach Jim McGuire in the spring completed his 29th season with the school's track program. He has led the Michigan cross country program to 12 Big Ten titles in 28 seasons, and coached two Olympians.

Hart said she likely will run the 1,500 or 5,000 meters in track at Michigan, but that could change as she progresses.

"The rich history of Michigan, they have a great program, as well as the girls and just the people and the pride they have going to Michigan was something that was attractive to me," Hart said. "The girls are very close and there is a sense of balance whether they're on the course competing or training. I really trust that combination of coach and team."

The hardest part, Hart said with a wide smile, was keeping her decision a secret.

She and her mom have been on the Michigan website getting gear in the days between her decision and announcement.

"It's definitely a very different type of nervousness from the races I run," Hart said, "just because I didn't know what to expect. I did my research. I think holding it in was the hard part because I'm so excited."