Athlete of the Month: JCA's Blotnik Charges to Head of the Pack

The pink shoes and hot-pink laces speak of her outgoing personality.

Joliet Catholic Academy’s Alex Blotnik is noticed by one and all when she comes running out of the woods. And forget about her wardrobe.

She emerged during her junior season as the No. 1 runner on the JCA girls cross country team in regional and sectional competitions. She came within a whisker of qualifying for the IHSA state meet.

And she is honored today for a meteoric rise as Joliet Patch’s Athlete of the Month for October.

Blotnik played volleyball during her freshman and sophomore years at JCA. She joined the track team last spring. Then, she switched to cross country this fall after a club experience soured her on volleyball.

“I can honestly say it’s probably the best decision I’ve ever made,” Blotnik said. “I played club volleyball for Sports Performance and they cut down the teams by like six teams. So, I didn’t make it.

“I had always loved running with my dad. We had done a bunch of road races, but nothing competitive. So, that’s how I got started.”

Her Unlikely Climb to the Top

Blotnik quickly made up for lost time.

She placed third in the Class 2A Riverside-Brookfield Regional. She was clocked in  19:48.4 for 3.0 miles on the course at Sundown Meadows Forest Preserve in Countryside. She also led JCA to a third-place finish in the regional with 70 points.

The Angels bunched four juniors—Blotnik, Maddie Kennedy (14^th), Chloe Korst (16^th) and Moira McSteen (19^th)—in their top five. Senior Francesca Sikorski (18^th) rounded out JCA’s scoring.

Then, at the Wheaton Academy Sectional, Blotnik shaved nearly 20 seconds off her regional time en route to a personal-best 19:26 mark. She placed 34^th in a field of more than 100 runners—but missed advancing downstate by two spots.

Few could have predicted she would come that close.

Blotnik started running with her dad, Steven, owner of Joliet Water Reconditioning, when she was 11 and he was looking for an exercise outlet. Steven since has gone on to complete two marathons. He regularly runs in local events.

“It started with us going around my block, which is like three-quarters of a mile,” Blotnik said. “We couldn’t even make the three-quarters of a mile—neither of us. We were really bad. Then, we just kept going. I think the first 5K that I ran it took me 42 minutes. It was not good at all.”

Blotnik was not discouraged, in large part because of her father’s enthusiastic support. Steven Blotnik is her No. 1 fan and partner in many running capers. Blotnik’s mother, Kathryn, keeps the two honest and on a steady training course.

“For only being in the sport for one year, she progressed from a very average level to the highest level, becoming one of our best runners at the end of the season,” Joliet Catholic Academy coach Mark Clarke said. “Moving up to No. 1 was probably an accomplishment no one could expect. But she has a drive and a determination, a positive attitude.

“All along the way, you could see the improvement. Sometimes with an athlete you can’t. You could see it with her—every race she got better.”

Blotnik is an honors student at JCA. She serves as the junior class vice president of student council. She also is a member of the Student Ambassador’s Club and the Pro Life Club. She is undecided on what type of career path she will choose or where she will go to college.

JCA assistant coach Mindy Izzo has no doubt Blotnik will succeed no matter where she ends up. Izzo sees Blotnik one day hitting life’s trail running full-speed ahead.

“She’s a leader,” Izzo said. “I don’t have her in class, but she’s always coming into my room. She’s always organizing something. She was the emcee at one of our fall assemblies. For one person to do that in front of 800 kids, that’s pretty brave.

“And Alex had no problem doing it. She’s always taking charge. Even though she was not a captain, she acted like one. So, it was really cool to see her come in and—not take charge—but get so involved and be such a good leader. It really helped out the program.”

Blotnik keeps her teammates smiling through the most rigorous workouts by infusing a bit of her bubbly spirit into the mix. Her pink running shoes have become her trademark calling card.

“I had gotten chin splits because I did track last spring,” Blotnik said. “And, so, me and my dad went to get new shoes. I feel in love with the hot pink because I truly believe hot pink matches with every single color.”

She is flashing a grin as the words escape from her mouth.

“You’ll always see me coming out (of the forest),” Blotnik said. “And I wear these god-awful ugly shin-split black socks and you’ll always be able to find me.”

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