Running achievements are not new in Barrington freshman Mia Sirois’ family.
Her mother, Mary Sirois, and two aunts, Molly Kiefer and Emily Velotta, ran cross country and track at Purdue after graduating from Libertyville.
“My mom and family definitely have a large sum of knowledge,” Mia Sirois said.
But Sirois is quickly adding to that experience. She won the Class 3A state title in the 3,200-meter run with an eye-opening time of 10 minutes, 19.29 seconds at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Field in Charleston on May 18.
“It still feels really surreal,” she said. “Even when I was, like, coming through the (finish) line, it hadn’t hit me until I saw my mom. It was really fun getting all the congratulations and seeing my team excited for me.”
Sirois beat her previous personal best by five seconds and easily outpaced Naperville Central senior Liv Phillips, who finished second in 10:34.27.
“The first five laps I was just racing my competition and wasn’t too worried about times,” Sirois said. “The conditions were so hot. I had no idea what time I was going to run. I was exhausted, but the crowd was very enthusiastic. I could hear my teammates cheering for me. That was very motivating. I just gave it my all.”
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Barrington coach Kala Penev said Sirois showed signs of becoming a star early in the cross country season. At the state meet in November, she finished sixth in 3A in 17:05.81. Teammate Scout Storms, a junior, won in 16:38.46.
“Her finish in cross country was very exciting and awesome,” Penev said of Sirois. “We got a chance to see what she was capable of, making us very excited for the track season. Her first indoor meet, she ran the 2-mile for the first time and blew it out of the water. She stayed strong throughout the season and very consistent and continued to improve.
“She found herself in the state race feeling comfortable and able to kick in that extra gear. She’s a delight and great with her teammates.”
Sirois said her success in cross country encouraged her.
“State cross country was a big confidence booster, especially having a high school state meet under my belt, just knowing I had done it before and I could do it again,” she said.
Sirois rose to the top quickly, having just started running in middle school. Mary Sirois, who not only was a successful runner but also played on the Libertyville girls soccer program’s 1991 state championship team, said she never pressured Mia to follow in her footsteps.
“Mia always loved the sport aspect, but she was into cheer and doing other things,” Mary Sirois said. “She started really running in seventh grade. We didn’t push her to run on weekends or do more mileage. We let her be with the team and just let her coach steer the ship. She just happened to get into it. It was fun to watch as she aged and had success.”
Even Mia Sirois is amazed that she has already earned two state medals. She said her running career took a turn last summer, when she started training with her new high school teammates and increased her weekly mileage from “maybe 10 miles” in middle school to “30 to 35 miles.”
“It’s pretty amazing to think how far I’ve come,” Sirois said.
Kiefer, Mary Sirois’ twin sister, is amazed too.
“Mia is far better than we ever were,” Kiefer said. “She’s so focused and determined and is incredibly dedicated and such a fierce runner.”
Mia Sirois said her state championship might raise the bar for her final three seasons.
“It has crossed my mind, but I’m trying to stay in the moment and not get too ahead of myself,” she said. “I’m really excited to see what we can do as a team in cross country. We have the potential for a special season.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.