As a freshman, sophomore and junior, Lily Ginsberg helped Prospect High School’s 4x800 meter relay team win a state championship. That meant as a senior, she had history to chase, but unfortunately, a stress reaction in her femur put history in doubt.
“When I first found out, I was definitely doing math in my head trying to figure out when I’d be back, how long I’d have to train before state, but towards the tail end of it, I realized I was going to have a good few weeks to start training and get a few races in,” Ginsberg recalls.
The 18 year-old didn’t run for six weeks as the injury healed, and then she returned in late April. It was enough time to get back into shape and help the Knights 4x800 meter relay team win the state title one more time, making her the first girl in IHSA history to win the same relay event four times.
“I feel like every year was so much fun, getting to see who’d I’d be getting to race with and race against, so it’s super exciting,” she says.
The Knights head coach, Pete Wintermute, has watched Ginsberg win all four state titles.
“I don’t know if you can put in context what Lily has achieved over 4 years,” Wintermute says. “Just a true competitor.”
Ginsberg didn’t just get to celebrate her own history last Saturday at Eastern Illinois University – she also got to celebrate some school history when Prospect captured its first team state championship for girls track and field.
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“I was in the stands for the last event when we knew we won and I was with the rest of the team, and everyone was hugging and crying, so it was really exciting,” Ginsberg remembers.
Next fall, Ginsberg is headed to Mizzou to compete for the Tigers track and field team, where she’ll continue her history making running career.
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