Prep Zone: C-G’s Loeffel area’s latest heptathlete

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Carly Loeffel provided an answer before Notre Dame’s track and field coaches could even ask the question.

The Cary-Grove senior realized her strength at the next level would be with her versatility. So when Fighting Irish assistant coach Scott Winsor, who works with jumpers and throwers, contacted Loeffel, she told him right away she wanted to compete in the heptathlon.

“I knew I wanted to do it for a while,” Loeffel said. “That’s kind of a change from most people.”

Loeffel signed her NCAA national letter of intent with Notre Dame on Monday and will attend the school on a partial athletic scholarship. Loeffel has been one of the area’s best athletes the past three years and tied for fifth in the Class 3A high jump at the IHSA Girls Track and Field State Meet last year.

Loeffel is adept at jumping and sprints, and worked on throwing the javelin and shot put last summer. She’s been dabbling in hurdles this indoor season, which she thinks might be the most challenging race in the seven-event competition. The heptathlon consists of the javelin, shot put, long and high jumps, 100-meter high hurdles, 200 dash and 800 run.

Loeffel noticed a trend among Fox Valley Conference athletes who headed to college in recent years. Crystal Lake South’s Aimee Schuh (Illinois-Chicago), Huntley’s Amy Fanella (Indiana State) and Cary-Grove’s Kelly McCoy (Iowa State) have become heptathletes.

McHenry’s Ashley Conway (Murray State), Prairie Ridge’s Sam Nirva (Saint Joseph’s College) and Loeffel are seniors recruited as heptathletes.

“I’m like everyone else,” Loeffel said. “It’s a McHenry County thing.”

Trojans coach Mark Anderson credits Loeffel for embracing her all-around talent.

“She’s a fantastic high jumper, but she’s not as tall as some girls,” Anderson said. “She’s a great sprinter, but it’s not really D-I speed. The heptathlon seems to be a great fit because she does everything so well. She likes it. She’s been gearing up for this in the recruiting.”

Loeffel visited Illinois, Minnesota and Villanova, along with Notre Dame. Her brother, Tim, is a student at Notre Dame and she had visited the campus for football games, but hadn’t really thought about attending the school until the fall.

“Ever since I started looking, I kind of wanted to be close to home so my parents could come see my meets,” Loeffel said. “[Notre Dame] has the No. 1 business school, and I want to major in finance.”

Indoor state meet: The Illinois Prep Top Times Indoor Classic, regarded as the unofficial indoor state meet, will be held today and Saturday at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington.

Loeffel and Conway, who have high jumped 5 feet, 7 inches this season, are tied for the top seed in the Class 3A girls.

Woodstock’s Kayla Beattie is the top seed in the Class 2A girls 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs, and McHenry’s Corey Szamlewski is the second seed in the Class 3A boys pole vault.

• Joe Stevenson covers high school sports for the Northwest Herald. He can be reached by e-mail at jstevenson@nwherald.com.