Lowell junior Annalise James was born into a never-ending competition.
“My family was really active in general — all kinds of sports,” she said. “I just loved competing.”
She ran her first 5K at the age of 8 with her father. But it was growing up with three siblings that helped James develop the competitive fuel that has helped her become one of Lowell’s top distance runners.
Her oldest brother, Isaac, was an all-state wrestler and football player who graduated in 2016. Her two younger sisters — Sara, a freshman, and Karina, an eighth-grader — will likely follow a sports-heavy path in high school as well.
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Growing up, their arguments were often settled by races in the front yard.
“We’d all fight about who was faster,” Annalise said. “Because everything is so competitive with my family, they’ve pushed me to be the best athlete I can be.”
James hasn’t lost that edge in high school, maintaining a similar mindset during cross country races and even during practices, especially during speed work.
“She loves being on the track,” Lowell coach Scott Coil said of James. “Whenever she gets to do 400s, she wants to win.”
And that’s one thing James said she’s struggled with: learning how to take it easy on days that aren’t meant for full exertion.
“She got into a rut where she was going way too fast on those days and her body wasn’t able to recover,” Coil said. “She hit a wall and wasn’t improving.
“We had to figure some stuff out and drill into her that you have to be mindful of what you’re doing on those days.”
James also has dealt with another obstacle in running cross country.
“It’s a lot more mentally exhausting,” she said. “It’s not just one lap and you’re done. That’s something I’ve had to work on. Over the years, I’ve become a lot more mentally tough because of cross country.”
That improvement has shown during races, too.
James was an individual state qualifier as a freshman and was back at the state meet her sophomore year. Last year the entire team qualified, as James and classmate Jordyn Boyer led the Red Devils to second place in the New Prairie semistate for the best finish in program history.
James finished 53rd overall at last year’s state meet in 19 minutes, 43 seconds. But she’s aiming for a much higher placement this season.
“This year, I want to make a statement,” James said. “I don’t want to just go there. I want to compete.”
Dave Melton is a freelance writer for the Post-Tribune.
Boys Cross Country Top 5
With last week’s rankings in parentheses
1. Valparaiso (1)
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2. Lowell (2)
3. Morgan Township (3)
4. Crown Point (4)
5. Chesterton (5)
Runner of the Week: Hanover Central senior Kevin Paszko finished first in 17:23 during last Wednesday’s triangular meet with Merrillville and Rensselaer.
Girls Cross Country Top 5
With last week’s rankings in parentheses
1. Valparaiso (1)
2. Lowell (2)
3. Chesterton (3)
4. LaPorte (4)
5. Crown Point (5)
Runner of the Week: LaPorte junior Shelby Riehle finished second in 19:20 in the Open Division at Saturday’s Culver Invitational, part of the Slicers’ first-place finish in the team standings.