Rising senior Jeremiah Wilks has seen an uptick of interest in his services over the last couple of months. He tallied four offers: from Indiana Tech, Alderson Broaddus, Missouri Valley, and Central Methodist.
“Wilks is a very determined athlete,” said L.C. Bird track coach Adam Canning. “I believe he is willing to put everything into being great. He is the type of kid who will be the first one at practice working on hurdles and the last to leave after the workout to work on hurdles some more.”
That work ethic has certainly attracted the attention of colleges and produced results in events. His best event is the 300-meter hurdles, which he ran in 40.1seconds as a sophomore. Unfortunately, due to events being canceled, he could not compete during his junior season. Canning says that he expected Wilks to be among the top three in region 5A in the event.
Wilks and a litany of other athletes are the reason that L.C. Bird boys’ track has won five straight state titles. That he and so many others are receiving college interest is a testament to the depth the program has developed, along with a team-first mentality.
“He [Wilks] is the kind of guy who is always trying to make sure the team is in the best position to win,” said Canning. “If that means volunteering for a relay even though he just finished racing, he’ll do it if he believes that it will help the team win.”
Wilks’s list of schools is varied, and while readers may not have heard of them outright, they all have strong track programs at the Division II and NAIA levels.
