O-R Athlete of the Week: Devin Junko, Trinity
Name: Devin Junko
School: Trinity
Class: Sophomore
Sport: Cross country
Junko’s week: It started and ended well for Junko in setting personal records in the Washington County Coaches Cross Country Championships and the Tri-State Meet.
Junko worked through the hilly course at Mingo Creek County Park to win the county championship Oct. 15 in a time of 16:37.12 before an eighth-place finish at White Oak Park in a time of 16:21.41 on Thursday. Junko was second in the county meet as a freshman.
White Oak Park will host the WPIAL cross country championships today, and Junko is hopeful of finishing high enough in the Class 3A boys race to qualify for the state meet Nov. 2 in Hershey.
“The White Oak course is mostly flat,” Junko said. “There is only one hill, while the course at Mingo Park has some really tough hills, but I feel like I attack the hills well. At the Tri-State meet, I was probably in the high 20s at the first mile and just started to pick people off. I probably passed three of four runners in the last 800 meters.”
Junko ran in the WPIAL Championships last year, but wasn’t able to qualify for the PIAA meet. His best times, based on last year’s results in Class 3A, should be enough to earn a berth in the state meet.
“The times to qualify for the state meet last year were around 16:30, but anything can happen,” Junko said. “I am just going to try and stay with the lead group and beat as many guys as I can down the stretch. The competition is solid, and that will push me to keep going.”
Not much time: If Junko accomplishes his goal of qualifying for the state meet, he will only have 13 days until practice starts for wrestling season. He started for the Hillers last season at 133 pounds.
Trinity was the WPIAL runner-up in Class 3A during the team portion of the season. The Hillers were 2-2 at the state team tournament.
Junko had a 27-15 record last year. He honed his skills in the youth program.
Cross country and wrestling are two sports that take dedication and hard work, but they are also very different.
Cross country runners generally encourage each other during competition, even against their opponents, while wrestlers are looking to finish things as quickly as possible, and there are never pleasantries exchanged on the mat when the referee blows the whistle.
“It is a little weird going from one sport to the other, but I have been involved with wrestling since I was little, so I’m familiar with each sport,” Junko said.
Although he has the rest of this year, plus two more, to compete in both sports, Junko has a desire to earn a scholarship at the collegiate level in either sport.
On the track: Junko won’t have much time to rest for track season, as he competes for the Hillers in the spring where he runs distance. He has a personal record of 4:41 in the 1,600-meter run, and does the 3,200.
Did you see that coming? Junko has proven to be a true renaissance man by playing the piano and performing without an affiliation in his own concerts.
“My grandmother plays the organ in church, so I decided to learn how to play the piano,” Junko said.
Compiled by Jonathan Guth