Avery Hacker’s junior season with Batavia almost perfectly mirrored how she approaches her races.

For the first half of the season, she kept a lower profile among the pack. But as soon as the competition stepped up, she kicked it into another gear and surged.

And it showed on the course.

Hacker finished her junior season with top-3 finishes in eight of her 10 races on the season and also cleared the 17-minute mark in each of her last five races after only doing so once as a sophomore.

And to top it off, she ended off her season with a second-place finish in the Class 3A state championship race, finishing in 16:14.0, a 38-second improvement from her second year.

Hacker was selected as the Kane County girls cross country Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive season for her efforts.

Here is her Q&A with sports reporter Joel Boenitz.

How do you feel you did this season?

Hacker: I was really happy with how I performed. I feel like being able to improve on last year was big for me, because last year was also a big season for me. So I feel like being able to improve was great.

What was the expectation from this season after your breakout last year?

Hacker: I know I wanted to continue to improve and things like that, but I knew it was going to be a bit more difficult than it was last year. But I just continued to be consistent and do the same things like lifting and fueling enough to help me improve.

You broke the 17-minute barrier five times to end the season after only doing it once as a sophomore. How did you manage that?

Hacker: For the big meets like state and sectionals, me and my coach talked through the race plan and like where he sees me fitting into the races. But I felt like it was more important just running with the girls and not thinking about place and time. It was just important to know where to be at and try to execute as best you can.

How did it feel getting second place at state with a 25-second personal-best time?

Hacker: That was really big for me. I was kind of going into the race knowing I would be happy with like a fifth-place finish. I just wanted to place higher than eighth since that’s where I was last year. The lead pack looked very similar to what my sectional looked like, so I wasn’t sure how it was all going to play out. But I felt really good on the day, stuck behind the group for most of the race, and I just sped up in the last half mile and got second.

You had eight top-three finishes across 10 races this year. What do you think led to that consistency?

Hacker: Our coach talked a lot about running with confidence this year, so I feel like just knowing that I trained really hard, and knowing that I can race with the top girls, like, has really helped me. And I feel like my team is always so supportive. They’re always out there cheering for me.

What’s your go-to race strategy?

Hacker: At the start of the race, I like to stay towards the back of the pack I want to be in, and then towards the last mile or so I try to just move up as much as I can to get to where I want to be. I feel like I definitely speed up more at the end, but I always make sure that I’m in the spot that I want to be in at the beginning.

What’s your favorite course to run on?

Hacker: It’s not a course, but I really like running the Twilight Invite. Last year it was in Naperville, but I liked doing it this year in Batavia. The nighttime races are really fun so I like doing those.

What does a typical training week look like?

Hacker: I try to run about 35 miles a week. On Monday and Wednesday we usually have our workouts, Tuesdays we do a recovery run. On Thursday we usually do a long run, which is around eight miles. Friday is usually our pre-meet day and then Saturday we race.

What’s your most memorable race?

Hacker: I feel like it might’ve been the state track meet from last season. We had our girls run the 4x800-meter relay and then I ran the two-mile race, where I got All-State honors. But I remember walking out of the track area and seeing all of my teammates coming up to hug me.

Do you have a place you want to run at?

Hacker: I’d love to visit Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. It’s such an iconic place and I’ve seen videos and it just seems like a glammed-up place, and I just really want to run a race there.

Any superstitions?

Hacker: Not a whole lot. I like to have mostly the same food the morning of a race like eggs, toast and oatmeal. I also always try to sleep good two days before a race.

Do you have a go-to meal the night before a race?

Hacker: Our team always does a pasta party the night before. We all just go to a teammate’s house and the parents supply the pasta.

Favorite thing to listen to before a race?

Hacker: I like to listen to Tate McRae, and our team likes to play hype-up music like Pitbull on the bus.

What’s the big goal for next season?

Hacker: I just want to continue to race with the top girls in the state. I’m close to the school record now, so that’s also something I’m looking more at now and trying to get that.