May 21, 2015 5 min read

Washington High School’s track and field team has a long history of producing WPIAL and PIAA championship contenders. So when distance coach Susie Koehler was told by a former athlete to remember the name of a distance runner who could make an impact as a freshman, you can’t blame her for being skeptical.

That was before Koehler met Ben Heim. The Prexies’ sophomore began running competitively last year and has not looked back. It did not take long for him to uphold the high praise and Wash High’s reputation.

Heim ran the second leg of the Prexies’ 3,200-meter relay team that shattered the school record and won the PIAA Class AA title last May in Shippensburg.

“He just kind of emerged. We have a pretty good tradition of good athletes here,” Koehler said. “Not many freshmen can come in and certainly do what he did. Earning a spot on that relay team that ended up winning states was pretty impressive. He’s just been improving. He hasn’t stopped.”

It was an unforgettable experience for the underclassman, but he certainly did not stop there, qualifying for the PIAA Cross Country Championships last fall to prepare to reach two goals in the outdoor track season: return to Shippensburg with a relay team and qualify in the 800-meter run.

A six-mile-a-day regimen paid off when Heim finished fourth at the WPIAL Championships in the 800 with a personal best of 2:00.18. Heim also runs the third leg of the Prexies’ 1,600-meter relay team that finished fourth, qualifying for the PIAA Championships. Heim will be back at the state championships today, where he is the 16th seed in the 800 preliminaries scheduled for 3:30 p.m., and with the relay team, which is seeded 13th in Class AA. The two-day event begins at 9 a.m. today with preliminaries for track events and finals for 14 field events.

It will conclude Saturday with the final race, the 1,600-meter relay final, at 2:40 p.m.

“I was surprised with how I ran,” Heim said of his performance in the 800 at the WPIAL meet. “I didn’t expect to come in fourth. I kicked out of nowhere at the end and passed four guys, so that was surprising.”

Winning the state title with Quorteze Levy, D’Heaven Kelley and DeQuay Isbell had an immeasurable impact on Heim. The group formed a bond that helped them beat a 16-year-old school record.

Knowing there would be higher expectations during his sophomore year, Heim found motivation through those three athletes. He still remembers Levy’s reaction when crossing the finish line as thousands watched from the stands at Shippensburg University.

“Being on the 4 x 800 last year gave me the confidence I needed to have a successful season this year,” Heim said. “I really credit that. Plus, the guys on that team, I wanted to make them proud and continue their legacy. That’s sort of what pushed me.”

Koehler did not need to be convinced that Heim was special. The only thing that surprised her was his personality. Quiet and unassuming, Heim is as unique as it gets.

He wore a fisherman’s hat around the state championships last spring and has a reputation for wearing random socks that range from Christmas-themed to ones covered with Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.

It does not matter what socks are being worn, Heim continues to outrun the competition, despite dealing with shin splints and a stress fracture in his left foot.

“He’s so mature and he’s always happy. He enjoys running,” Koehler said. “He’s been struggling this season with a lot of injuries and you would never know it by looking at him. He’ll never complain. He’s such a positive role model to the other kids. It’s been great. I’m eager to see what he does the next two years and at states.”

In the 800-meter run, Heim uses intelligence to avoid being boxed in and produces a consistent 58- or 59-second split – saving his energy for when he needs it the most. Though his top competition includes Beaver Falls’ Domenic Peretta, who broke the WPIAL meet record of Jeff Weiss (McGuffey), Heim is set on bringing home another medal.

“Last year, I wanted to make the other guys on the relay team proud, so it’s really nice to uphold that tradition and be a part of the group that’s going to states again,” Heim said.

Field finals

Six local athletes will compete in finals for their field events today, including Aliyah Moye of Wash High, Koryn Jozwiakowski of Fort Cherry and Brenna Cavanaugh of Bentworth in the Class AA girls long jump, McGuffey’s Ryan Stienstraw in the Class AA boys javelin, California’s Annelise Gillespie in the AA high jump and Wash High’s Zack Blystone in the AA shot put.

Seeding

Isbell, a Wash High senior who won the WPIAL Class AA titles in the 200- and 400-meter dashes last week, is seeded second in both events.

Other high seeds include Waynesburg’s Sean Hilverding (second) in the Class AA 1,600-meter run, Monessen’s Raymond Sitton (fourth) in the Class AA 110 hurdles, Canon-McMillan’s Ethan Linderman (fourth) in the Class AAA 3,200 run, Jozwiakowski (sixth) in the triple jump and Cavanaugh (eighth) in the 100 hurdles.