As she entered high school, Jessica Kendzor told her dad, Peter, she wanted to take running seriously. For inspiration and incentive, Peter Kendzor told his daughter that he had set eight school records in high school and college.
Now she is a senior, and the Kennedy middle-distance star is going after school records – and her dad’s record total.
The runner already has six spots on the Gael’s record book. She owns the Catholic school’s mark in the 300-meter dash (43.05 seconds), at the 1,000 yards (2:43.40), at 1,200 meters (3:57) and was part of two record 4 by 400 relays indoor and out. Then, less than two weeks ago, she obliterated her 3:04 mark for the 1,000 meters with a 2:56.5 runner-up finish in the state-qualifier meet.
The emphatic record-lowering also put her in the A race at the distance in the state championships last Saturday, while giving her then the 10th fastest time in the state this winter.
And the record-busting race will continue when the outdoor season starts. She has a personal best of 2:15.35 for 800-meters; the school’s standard is an accessible 2:14.8.
I’m also going to do the 400 outdoors and maybe the 200,” she said.
Then it will be onto Lehigh University on an alumni grant (track) scholarship on a track to continue the quest for fast times.
“I’d like to get eight records – or as many as possible,” Jessica Kendzor said.
In the A race at Cornell on Saturday, Kendzor followed a too-fast early pace against the state’s top runners and finished well back and well over three minutes. It was however, her fifth straight running season qualifying for state competition: cross-country, indoors and outdoors as a junior and cross-country and now indoors this school year.
It might have been more except her first two years at Kennedy, Kendzor was slowed by freak injuries like stepping in potholes on the course. Now she is running past a very solid junior year.
“Yes, I’m a better runner now,” she said. “This year I have the mentality that this is my final year here and I want to make Sister proud.
Sister is Sister Janet Meehan, the legendary, long-time, and much-beloved cross-country and track coach at Kennedy. It was she who first recognized the talent in Kendzor and her friend Breeda Mannion when she put them on varsity after the two freshmen’s first day of cross-country tryouts. Both finished in the top five in every race. This fall, Kendzor won the Brewster Invitational and Class B cross-country meets.
“Make me proud? She’s already done that,” Sister Janet said. “Besides being a very fine young lady, she’s finally begun to believe in herself as a runner. She used to think everyone else was better. Now that she proved it isn’t so, there’s no stopping her.”
It seemed that way at the state qualifier at the New York Armory at the end of February. Strategizing perfectly, Kendzor stayed in second behind the swift pace of Tappan Zee’s Caile Kohlbrenner; then when favored Henrietta Miers of Bronxville sprinted to the lead late in the race, Kendzor followed her for a fast and comfortable second place.
She did not plan as well at the state meet. “I went out too fast at the start,” she said.
Sister Janet is Kendzor’s coach in the fall and winter, but Larry Elliott, who coaches only the boys in the winter, coaches both squads in the spring. He, too, notices the improvement in Kendzor.
“It’s physical maturity (Kendzor turned 18 in December) and consistent training,” Elliott said. “She realizes training is the key to success.”
And also staying out of potholes.
“Sister kids me about that,” Kendzor said with a laugh.
Another key is a group of special running partners with which Kendzor is close. Older sister Tina is a cross-country runner at PACE College and works with Jessica when available. Mannion, her long-time running mate, kept at it with her friend even when she didn’t make states so her season was over. And her boyfriend is Eric DiNome, a 5-minute miler on the Kennedy Catholic’s boys’ team.
“He runs with me to work on speed,” Kendzor said.
And always there for moral support is the owner of the record Jessica Kendzor would like to eclipse. Peter Kendzor never misses one of her competitions.
How will he feel when his record topples?
“Proud,” he said. “The sooner the better.”
Posted from Pages S10 and S15; North County News; March 10, 2010
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