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In the small town of Tuscola, Illinois, Kate Foltz stands on the brink of closing a remarkable chapter in her high school running career. As she prepares to graduate, Foltz is ready to take her talents to the University of Illinois, leaving behind a legacy filled with impressive achievements and memories.
Throughout her time at Tuscola High School, Foltz has consistently demonstrated her prowess in cross country, finishing in the top five at the state championships on three occasions. Her crowning achievement came in 2024 when she clinched the state title as a junior. Not just a force in cross country, Foltz also excelled on the track, securing top-three finishes in the Class 1A 3200-meter race during her first three seasons. This weekend, she will make her much-anticipated fourth appearance at the prestigious blue track in Charleston.
“This season has truly flown by,” Foltz reflected on her senior year. “It’s probably been the fastest season I’ve ever experienced… It feels like we just wrapped up the indoor season a few weeks ago.”
Despite her impressive list of accolades, Foltz remains humble, preferring to let her performance speak for itself rather than dwell on her accomplishments. Her modesty is as notable as her speed, making her both a formidable athlete and a grounded individual.
Despite an extensive resume and running achievements, Foltz doesn’t love talking about herself and her success on the course or the track.
She is, however, happy to discuss her coach. Drew Sterkel helped Foltz grow long before she was committed to run in the Big Ten.
“I love Coach Sterkel,” Foltz said. “He’s really the sweetest. He’s very humble. He’ll never, never brag about anything that he just really cares about people in general. He’ll do anything for his athletes… He’s very supportive, and sometimes you just need that person to be like ‘You’re going to be fine.’ He’s definitely always there, making sure he can do anything to help me out.”
Foltz says as she trades the black and gold for orange and blue, she will remember a lot from her high school career. However, it won’t be the personal record times, broken records, or even medals that will stand out the most.
“It’s more just the people you meet along the way,” she said. “My teammates, and everyone is really supportive. You have such a good community [in Tuscola], and I’ll remember that.”
Foltz will take the track on the campus of EIU for prelims on Thursday, with hopes of advancing to finals. The 3200 features just one race, as part of Saturday’s finals.