A year from now, Jackson Heimsoth will re-route. The sprinter will veer, at least.

Marengo’s speedster and straight-A student will graduate high school and head to college to study finance, business administration, accounting or a similar field.

“My dad [Chad] owns a business, and my brother [Carter] is majoring in marketing and business [at Grand Valley State University], so I feel that would be a pretty good field to go into,” said Heimsoth, who, like his identical twin, Grant, owns a weighted 4.3 GPA. “I’m kind of a numbers guy.”

Jackson Heimsoth’s numbers on the track this spring would fluster an accountant.

They were staggering. Seemingly incalculable at times.

Heimsoth’s time of 21.73 seconds in the Class 2A 200-meter dash at state tied his personal record, which was identical to the twins’ clocking at sectionals, and earned him the second-place medal. Heimsoth finished .40 seconds behind champion D’Mario Jackson of Danville.

Heimsoth also left Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Field in downstate Charleston with a fourth-place medal thanks to the efforts of Marengo’s 4x200 relay (season-best 1:27.38), which also featured Sam Tucker, Grant Heimsoth and Michael Gieseke.

The same foursome ran a season-best 42.52 in the 4x100 relay in the state preliminaries, finishing 10th and missing the finals by .06 seconds.

At sectionals, Jackson Heimsoth also helped the 4x400 relay qualify for state. A year ago, he advanced to state in the 200 and 4x200 relay.

For his efforts – which also included him being named Boys Athlete of the Meet in the McHenry County Meet and taking home four firsts in the Kishwaukee River Conference Meet – the junior is the 2026 Northwest Herald Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year.

The cerebral sprinter recently answered questions about his sport, his interests outside of track, his twin and his recently concluded track season.

How did you process finishing second in the 200 dash at state but being only .40 seconds from winning a state championship?

Heimsoth: I was really grateful to get second. I knew I had a chance to maybe get a podium finish for top three. I knew if I just ran my race, I’d have a chance to get that, so I was more satisfied with my second than frustrated, and I have next year to hopefully go for that first place.

What’s the toughest sprint race, including relays?

Heimsoth: I would say the 4x4 [relay], even though I’m not put in the 4x4 a lot, just because it’s so long. The 400 is a really, really challenging race. But once you have a good group of guys, a competitive 4x4 is really fun to run. Along with that, I would say the 4x2 is pretty difficult too. It’s a long race, but it’s still a sprint.

Is running a leg on a 4x400 relay tougher than running the 400 as an individual event?

Heimsoth: I would say so, because you have some guys depending on you. You really try your hardest to run your best split and then try to get the team in a good position. I would say it’s more difficult, but it’s also more rewarding and exciting, just because you can get a team win.

What non-sprint event would you be good at?

Heimsoth: I feel like I would be a pretty decent 800 runner. I used to do cross country back in the day, and nowadays the 800 is like a long sprint, so I feel like that would be a fun race to run.

What non-sprint event would you not be good at?

Heimsoth: I would say either shot put or hurdles. Obviously, I’m not the biggest guy (6 feet, 150 pounds), so shot put wouldn’t be my thing. I’d definitely be a little out-classed there. And then, hurdles, I am not very flexible. I don’t know how confident I would be jumping over those, especially in the 110s when they’re so high.

What is your twin, Grant, better at than you?

Heimsoth: He normally has me in the 60 [dash]. He beat me in the 60 a couple of times in the indoor season. He also probably has me in schoolwork, even though it’s pretty close.

How did you celebrate after winning state medals in the 400 dash and 4x200 relay?

Heimsoth: I went out to dinner with the team. That was pretty fun. That’s when it really hit me. The whole time, even after [prelims], I didn’t really have time to process that we made finals. I was like, ‘OK, we still have one more race.’ Once those were over, it really gave me time to reflect on the season and enjoy all of the success we had. I just went out to this little pizza place [north of Charleston] with a majority of the guys and talked. It was good times. And then the next day it was my sister [Regan’s] graduation, so I couldn’t celebrate too much.

Outside of track, what other interests do you have?

Heimsoth: I have a pool [at home], so I like to swim a lot. I like to play pickleball, spend time with my friends. I like to play with my dog [Charlie, a 7-year-old Labrador/basset hound mix]. It’s just like, “Be productive, go to the track, go to the weight room.”

What’s the best way for a sprinter to increase his or her speed?

Heimsoth: What helped me a lot was staying consistent. You really need to be going to the track a lot, putting the work in the weight room, and just applying it. Every practice, push yourself. [At Marengo], we do sprint-endurance days, where we do 110s, 150s, 300s, and really push it, compete. That’s where you’ll see improvements in the season. You just have to stay patient with it, too.