Name: McKenna Van Tilburg

School: Wilmington

Sport: Girls track and field

Year: Sophomore

Why she was selected: Already a state medalist sprinter, Von Tilburg’s dominant effort at the Seneca Invite April 17 showed she’s once again a state contender. She won all four of her events in Seneca, the 100-meter hurdles (15.53 seconds), 300 hurdles (46.47), 100 (12.73) and 200 (26.14).

How would you describe your journey to becoming one of the fastest girls in the state?

Van Tilburg: I would say my 11-year gymnastics background plays a big part in where my speed came from. Also, all of the practices from club and school track, working on the running and form aspects of track and field.

How similar or different is your preparation and training for running the sprints compared to the hurdles?

Van Tilburg: My preparation for hurdles and sprinting events are very different from one another. For hurdles, I do my own hurdle stretches and hurdle drills. My sprinting preparation consists of my dynamic warmups, flexibility stretches and block starts. I prefer my hurdle preparation and training because it’s more entertaining and I enjoy running hurdles better.

Especially at larger meets and invites, track and field meets can make for long days with a lot of downtime in between events. What’s your method to staying locked in and ready to go?

Van Tilburg: I usually just listen to music and make sure I pay attention to my teammates’ events and when they are about to race. I help cheer them on, and I use the time between my events to focus on the techniques my coaches help me throughout the week.

Are there any other sprinters or hurdlers that you’ve grown up competing against that you look forward to seeing on the track the most?

Van Tilburg: Through the past years, I’ve been competing against multiple different athletes that have challenged me to become a better sprinter as they are exceptional athletes, consisting of Alyssa Wollenzien (Reed-Custer), Jaida Reed (El Paso-Gridley) and Jillian Hammer (Oregon).

You won a pair of championships at the Illinois Top Times Meet, the 60 meters and 60 hurdles. How similar or different are the indoor and outdoor seasons, and how much confidence did you add ahead of the outdoor season with those performances?

Van Tilburg: The indoor and outdoor seasons are different because when you get to the outdoor season you need more endurance compared to indoor races. Weather plays a huge part outdoors compared to indoors, especially the wind. I came into the outdoor season feeling confident in myself because I know I am better with getting my speed up to my full potential towards the end of my races.

You were just shy of winning a state championship last spring. What areas have you been able to improve upon most as you look to change that next month?

Van Tilburg: I have been able to improve on my breathing techniques during my races, my running form and getting out of the blocks as quickly as possible thanks to my coaching staff who have helped me improve in these areas.