Record Setting Willey Set to Run for Lafayette

Being the only person in the past four years to earn 12 varsity letters, as a standout runner on the Brookfield High School (BHS) Cross Country, Indoor Track & Field and Outdoor Track & Field teams, Rose Willey graduated as the most decorated student athlete in the in the class of 2010.  During her four years she set numerous school records while achieving a high level of success in the classroom, which led to her being named the CIAC Female Scholar Athlete of the Year for BHS.

The honor continues a tradition that gives the Brookfield track teams bragging rights over all the other school sports.  Willey became the fourth female track star in the past six years to earn the award, while two male track athletes have taken home the honor in the past six years as well.

"I wanted it," Willey said of what track coach Ed Butt told her was the highest award any athlete could receive.  "When I heard it announced in 2009 I thought it sounded like a neat award.  I knew I could get it, it's good to continue the tradition."

Willey found out about winning the award while she was in her flex period during school.  She was called into the athletic director's office and told the news.

"I was very excited. I wanted to call my mom," she said.  She returned to her classroom and her teacher allowed her to make the call right then and there.  "She was screaming through the phone," she said of her mother's reaction, which everyone in class could hear.

"It's really something," Clara Willey, Rose's mother, said of the prestigious award.

With the award came an invitation for her and her family to the annual banquet held at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington, CT.  Placed at their own table with other representatives from Brookfield High, the Willeys were treated to a memorable dinner at the premier annual event in Connecticut's education community.

Like many of her fellow classmates who made up a group that excelled in athletics and academics, Willey found a way to balance her time between sporting events and hitting the books. 

"We are all very competitive with each other," she said of the motivation athletes from other sports gave each other.  "It doesn't seem impossible when you see others are doing it."

Being involved in three sports during the fall, winter and spring seasons made it a challenge.

"It's something you gain over time," she said adding that sports could never be in the way of her grades.  "There were a lot of tough nights, late nights.  Junior year was the toughest."

Having excelled as a runner in both her freshman and sophomore years, Willey had rapidly become a team leader.  The added responsibility to go along with her own raised expectations didn't detract her from focusing on the fact that college was now looming closer on the horizon.

"Rose was always motivated, we were lucky in that regard," Jeffrey Willey said of his goal-oriented daughter.  "She was doing things right."

Doing things right led to Willey receiving a lot of attention from numerous schools trying to recruit her.  One school stood out, Lafayette College in Easton, PA.  The Division I school approached her as a runner and wound up offering her an academic scholarship.

"It seemed like a nice campus," Willey said of her first visit to the school.  "The coach was nice and the girls were very nice and inviting.  They made me feel wanted."

Willey will look to make an immediate impact in her freshman year as she did in high school.  She will continue to run year round, dedicating herself once again to cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field.  She will have the opportunity to continue some old rivalries, as many other SWC track stars are members of other Patriot League schools.

As a freshman at BHS her goal was to make varsity cross-country and see what could happen from there.  She achieved that goal and began an incredible run that saw her qualify for the State Open Championships 11 out of 12 times for the three teams she competed on.  The one time she missed out was as a freshman for the indoor track & field team when her time was just a fraction too slow.  She vowed to never let that happen again.

"Rose has worked endlessly to become a better runner from top to bottom," girls cross country coach Beth Delaney (formerly Goins) said.  "She has focused on form, speed, endurance and mental stamina.  She has dedicated her running career to perfecting her races so that she can always say that she ran to the best of her ability every day."

Her best turned out to be the school's best in many events.  She owns the indoor school record in the 4 x 800 m relay, 1000 m, 1600 m and the 3200 m.  In outdoor she set the record in the 2000 m steeplechase, 3200 m and the 1600 m.

"That was the school record I really wanted," Willey said of the outdoor 1600 m record held by Kim Graybarz that stood for 15 years.  The record fell in dramatic fashion as Willey posted a time of 5:06:18 at the SWC Championships this past spring season.  The time was good for third overall and was the fourth fastest time in the history of the meet.

"It was the best race we ever saw," Mrs. Willey said of the race that saw three school records and the championship record fall.  "All the spectators realized the significance."

Willey finished second as a junior and fourth as a senior in the Class MM State Championship Meet in the 1600 m.  She made All-State in Cross Country the past three years in a row, was named to the All-Conference Team three times and the second team twice and she made the Danbury News Times All Area team six times.

"In her long list of athletic accomplishments one of the things that I admire the most about her is her commitment to academic excellence," Delaney said, adding that winning the Scholar Athlete award was "a testament to what a well-rounded young woman she is."

Setting her sights high, Willey will rely on her experience of leading the different teams with different dynamics that she was a part of at BHS.

"We have had a very young team and Rose had to step into a leadership role very early," Delaney said.  "She always encouraged the other girls on the team to step up and dedicate themselves to becoming stronger runners and to never let one bad day or one disappointing race hamper their outlook on running."

"It was a great experience being a team leader and having people talk to you," Willey said.  "It could help me to maybe be a captain in college too."

"I'm going to miss the heck out of her," coach Butt said of Willey, who he referred to as a very coachable athlete.  "She has a great work ethic, she would always look ahead at all our plans and was never afraid to make her opinions known, which made her a great leader as a junior and a senior."

While her coaches are certain she will find success in college and beyond, her parents were thrilled to see what the new chapter will hold for their daughter.

"The nervousness or sadness hasn't hit me yet," Willey said of preparing to leave home for college.  "For now I'm just really excited."