When Lake Zurich sophomore Alyssa Morello begins track practice each day, there is a familiar voice giving instructions.
Her father, Jeff Morello, is the Bears’ pole vault coach.
“He knows what he’s doing. He definitely knows his stuff,” Alyssa Morello said. “Having him there has pushed me.”
So much so that Alyssa Morello is a Class 3A state qualifier in the pole vault this year. At the Fremd Sectional on Friday, May 15, Alyssa Morello cleared the state standard mark of 10-06. She finished second behind Grayslake Central junior Katie Schroeder.
“From the very beginning, I felt she was pretty confident,” Jeff Morello said. “It’s pretty neat. She jumped well.”
After spending her freshman year at Grayslake Central, Alyssa Morello transferred to Lake Zurich in time for the second semester of the 2014-15 school year. She did not compete in track her freshman year due to an injury.
A college pole vaulter at Eastern Illinois and former coach at Vernon Hills and Prairie Ridge, Jeff Morello started coaching his daughter while she was in middle school. In her eighth grade year, she qualified for the Illinois Elementary School Association state meet for Round Lake Park Middle School.
“If you are fast and possess speed, it definitely transfers to the pole vault. It was pretty obvious she had good speed,” Jeff Morello said. “There was a lot of running and technique, teaching her basic fundamentals.”
This foundation, combined with natural talent, led to Alyssa Morello’s 2015 state-qualifying result. She cleared 10-06 on her first attempt at Fremd. On the advice of her father, she switched poles during the week. That allowed for a higher hand grip and a more sturdy plant before her leap over the bar.
Jeff Morello said there is no difference coaching his daughter over another athlete. Alyssa Morello said having her father as coach can at times be awkward, but her father’s knowledge of the sport overrides any thorny moments.
“He’ll watch his iPad for hours, looking at [pole vault] videos. I’m glad that I’m developing with him,” Alyssa Morello said. “It’s great to have a common interest. Makes conversation easier.”
Lake Zurich will send one more athlete to the this weekend’s state meet at Eastern Illinois in Charleston.
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Junior distance runner Caitlin Shepard qualified in the 3,200-meter run. Her time of 11 minutes, 14.44 seconds earned her a fourth-place medal at Fremd. Bears coach David Antczak said Shepard went out fast and was unable to maintain her initial pace. But it was enough for her to clock in under the state standard mark of 11:16.04
“[Shepard] is a race horse. She can be in front right before the gun goes off. She’s built that way,” Antczak said. “She went out too fast, but it was just enough to get in.”
Two other Bears earned medals (top 6) at the sectional. Alyssa Morello in the 100 hurdles (fourth, 15.90) and senior Rebecca Dorfman in the discus (sixth, 106-09.00). Antczak recognized the Lake Zurich seniors for establishing a strong program foundation this spring.
“They jumped on the philosophy of family, discipline and community. That’s where it all starts,” Antczak said. “We started down that path because of those seniors.
Kerr is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter: @prepspioneer