DECORATED HEMANN NEEDS TIME AWAY FROM TRACK
Jena Hemann is versatile. Not just on the track, but in everything she does.
Not only was she a three-sport standout at Breese Central, but she was also recognized as the school's Post-Dispatch Scholar-Athlete. Now she can add Post-Dispatch All-Metro girls track co-athlete of the year to her list of accolades.
Hemann, who won four gold medals at the Illinois Class 1A meet for the second consecutive year, shares the honor with Ladue's Samantha Levin, the new Missouri 800-meter record holder.
Despite not focusing on track like most of her counterparts, Hemann not only won four individual titles, but she set two class records along the way. She set new records in the long jump (20 feet, 1½ inches) and the 100 (12.02), and she won the triple jump (37-11¾) and the high jump (5-7).
Breese Central coach Greg Kruse said a big part of Hemann's success comes from the fact that she doesn't focus on track year-round, diverting her attention to volleyball and basketball in those seasons.
"I don't think you need to be devoted to one sport year-round," Kruse said. "I think it was better for Jena for her to cross-train instead of turning it into a job and then turning it into something she does not like.
"Most elite athletes are involved in more than one sport. You have to have time off to let the body recover."
Hemann had no problem returning to her primary sport of track, which is what she will continue to pursue next year at Texas A&M as a heptathlete.
As the three-time defending high jump champion, that event carried the most weight for Hemann to earn gold again. And, she had just cleared 6-0 at sectionals, becoming one of only two girls in the nation to accomplish the feat this year.
Hemann couldn't duplicate the 6-0 mark at the state meet, but her 5-7 was enough to give her the event title for the fourth consecutive year. Her sister, Jessica, won the high jump in 2007.
"My sophomore year, people were telling me not to be disappointed if I don't win again," Hemann said. "It made me drive more because they're saying there's a chance I won't get it, and that made me want it more."
Hemann had already won the long jump and set a new class record with her preliminary jump of 19-6. She initially intended to let that mark stand and reserve her energy on the second day of the meet for her other events like the high jump.
But when Hemann and Kruse saw that 22 girls had advanced to the high jump finals, they both knew that the extended wait would be more detrimental than expending a little more energy. They decided to use the long jump as a warm-up for the high jump, and Hemann was rewarded with an even greater record when she jumped 20-1½.
"I wanted to get 20-2 and told Coach that at the beginning of the year," Hemann said. "I'm going to round up to 20-2; I think it counts."
Hemann nearly had the 100 record during prelims, too. She ran a 12.16 despite a bad start. That gave her the confidence that she could take down the 12.13 standing record in the finals.
Hemann said her triple jump had her most nervous, but she got a good qualifying mark at sectionals that helped boost her confidence. She hit 36-6 during prelims, which left her determined to try for 38 feet in the finals.
For all her consistent and varied success, Hemann admits that she has not fully grasped her accomplishments.
"I keep thinking, ‘I didn't do that, did I?' Hemann said. "I'm excited, but I don't know if it's sunk in yet."
