Simmons selects IPFW

A year ago, Katie Simmons wasn’t even thinking about running in college. Now she’s committed to be a Division I athlete.
Simmons, a Jay County High School senior, signed her national letter of intent Friday to run cross country and track for the Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) Mastodons next season.
“I didn’t even think about running in college until the end of  my junior year,” said Simmons. “Now I feel like I can keep up with more of the elite people. … Now I know I want to run. I’m going to enjoy it.”
Since her freshman season, Simmons had been one of the top distance runners in a strong Jay County program. But she didn’t realize she could reach another level until the 2011 regional track meet.
She had won a pair of sectional titles a week earlier, posting career-best times in both the 1,600-meter and 3,200 run despite 40-dgree weather with misty ran soaking the track at Muncie Southside.
Simmons focused her attention to the 1,600 at the regional meet at Ben Davis, believing she had a better chance to advance to the state finals in that event. She turned out to be correct.
Even though she fell short of the top-three finish necessary to advance to the state meet in Bloomington, she obliterated the career-best mark she had set just a week earlier by 12 seconds and placed fourth in 5:15.72.
“It was the biggest  eye opener ever,” said Simmons, who missed the regional meet during her freshman season because of an injury. “Sophomore year I didn’t do too well because it was brand new to me and it’s huge and there are ... so many people who are fast. And then last year I wanted to go to state, but I knew I would have to drop a lot of time. I didn’t expect to drop 12 seconds though.”
That regional time caught the eye of IPFW women’s cross country and track coach Mike Fruchey, and Simmons visited the school during the summer.
The future business major said she hadn’t been focused on the opportunity to run at a Division I program, but is looking forward to the chance to compete at the highest level. She made her official visit to IPFW in October and said she was impressed by the facilities, the campus and the team.
“They’re basically going to be my … friends, and the people that I’m going to be around all the time,” said Simmons, who has run on the IPFW cross country course for the semi-state meet in each of her four high school seasons, of her future teammates. “I wanted to surround myself with people that I’m going to enjoy being around. ... They were more like a family than previous teams I had visited. They were really close.”
She said she is projected to run the mile (1,600) for the Mastodons, and could also be in the mix for the steeplechase.
But before Simmons heads to Fort Wayne, she has set some big goals for her final high school track season.
She took the year off from swimming in order to focus on the indoor track season with her focus set on breaking the JCHS school record in the mile in the spring. That mark of 5:09.1 set by Katie Keller is nearly 30 years old, and the record of 11:38.94 in the 3,200 held by Alyssa Johnson could also be within reach.
If she can break the school mark in the mile she’ll have a chance to achieve her dream of making the state finals with either a top-three regional finish or a state qualifying time — projected to be at 5:06.67 this season.
Brian McEvoy, who coaches her in both sports at JCHS, said he believes the two-time sectional cross country runner-up, two time track sectional champion in the 1,600 and defending sectional champion in the 3,200 has everything it takes to compete at the Division I level.
“She’s probably the most driven athlete I’ve ever had,” said McEvoy of Simmons, who has been key to six straight sectional titles in cross country and back-to-back sectional crowns in track. “She just really wants to push herself to that next level. The drive and the passion she has for it, she just continually makes herself better.
“From a coaching standpoint, that’s exactly what you need. That’s why we’ve been so successful in both sports. …
“She leads by example. She’s been a real big cornerstone to build the cross country program and track program around the last four years.”[[In-content Ad]]