Koby Brackemeyer '20 Recruiting Profile

Junior High:

    In my early ages, every kid in my class was faster than me and I had no such view in running. All those days at lunch where my friends and I would play tag and I was an easy target. Then came my Junior High years where I joined track in 6th grade. Before I had joined track I also played Football and Basketball. I wanted to run the 100m and 200m, although my coaches thought different and put me in the 800m and 1600m. From that point on those have been my primary events. In the span of my three years in Junior High (6th, 7th, 8th) I ended up with 9 state medals (5 Relay, 4 Individual). With a PR of 2:07.98 in the 800m and 4:46.46 in the 1600m. Those were some pretty good years although I was missing one thing and that was an individual title...

High School:

    Coming into High School is where my life dramatically changed and this was the choice of me deciding to quit football after 8 years of playing and pursue my dreams in running. So I decided to make the Cross Country team with me being the one and only one runner and my father as my coach. I was not even entirely sure what the sport even was until I did my research. So my first meet was also my dads first meet.  My first year I had ended up running a PR of 16:36 for 3 Miles although I did not qualify for state. Then came my freshman year of track... I had worked hard and hard work brought success. I had ended up placing 8th at IHSA 1A State Track & Field in the 800m running a 1:57.56. That year I had also ran a 4:38.46 in the 1600m. I was more focused on my 800m more than my 1600m that year. Next had come by sophomore year of Cross Country. Now more experience, I knew that it was going to be a good year. I had qualified for state and placed 40th running a 15:49 which was a huge PR for me. Now coming up to my sophomore year of track I was expecting big things this year. I had only ran the 1600m 3 times so it was decided that I would not run that at state and instead I would run the 4x4, 4x8, & 800m. I had run an open 400m that year in 51.52. I had run the 3200m that year as well in 10:18.00. So I had a big range of events that I was capable of. I had run 1:57.79 in the 800m in the middle of the year so I was feeling really good for what was going to happen at state. Later would I find out that was PR for the year... Come state the conditions were pretty hot. I was not going to let that stop me though. I had anchored my 4x8 to a State Championship with 8:00.58 with a team of all sophomores. I had split 1:58.2. Coming into my 800m I was feeling pretty good. There was 11 competitors and I had placed 10th running 1:58.39. Not the outcome I really expected especially after all the hard work I had put into at practice and all the time. Just a bad race and it happens to the best of us. That was a changing point as well. Giving me motivated to work harder than I ever have before. Coming to my junior year of Cross Country, I had run a lot of miles in the summer so I was prepared for the upcoming season.  In the middle of the season, I had been running faster than the years past. I made it past Regionals with a 16:03 which gave me some confidence. Although Sectionals came and my legs just gave up on me and I did not qualify for the state.... It's okay though because 2018 was just not the year for me. After that, I had quit basketball and decided to join swimming because I knew it would be more of a benefit for my running. Now 2019 has come! I had ended up getting a PR in the 400 with 50.82 at my conference meet. Then came state in which I ran the 4x4, 4x8, and 800. Our 4x4 placed 2nd and our 4x8 won with a 7:57.85 and I split a 1:57. Then shortly after that I had ran the 800 in 1:57.56, placing 5th. I wasn’t too happy but a PR is a PR. Now onto my senior year of High School!