State qualifier also Academic All-Stater

DeKalb's Christy Collins displays her cross country plaques and medals. The Barbs cross country runner qualified for the IHSA State Championships her sophomore and senior years. Collins was recently named to the IHSA Academic All-State team.

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DeKALB - Christy Collins fell in love with running at a young age. The DeKalb senior competed with the Huskie Track Club growing up, and joined the cross country and track teams when she reached high school. Her dedication to running paid off when she twice helped the DeKalb cross country team qualify for the state meet. Collins first made the trip to Peoria when she was a sophomore and capped her high school career with a return trip this season, providing leadership to a young squad. She ran a personal best time of 20:01 at the state meet. &#8220She is level-headed and consistent,” said DHS cross country coach Mike Wolf. &#8220She realizes there is ups and downs. I never saw her lose confidence or sight of what we wanted to accomplish as a team. She really helped the team as a captain and was an important part of our two trips to state.” Collins said Wolf helped her realize that success in cross country extends beyond physical training. &#8220Cross country is definitely a lot of work,” Collins said. &#8220You get to a point where you are in shape and are not going to get in better shape. A lot of it is mental, you have to push to achieve your goals.” Collins has applied that ability to push the limits to the classroom where she has earned a 3.89 GPA and set herself up to achieve her career goals. For her success in athletic competition and the classroom, Collins was one of 76 students across the state, - and one of two locally - named to the IHSA Academic All-State team. Indian Creek's Stephanie Arends also earned the honor. DeKalb Athletic Director and Principal Lindsey Hall pulled Collins out of class earlier this year to inform her she would be one of two DHS students nominated. Then Collins had to fill out an application and get letters of recommendation. She was unable to attend the banquet in Bloomington on April 23, but did receive a cerfificate and program in the mail. Collins plans to attend the University of Colorado next year to major in molecular biology and may practice dermatology. An AP biology class during her junior year, when the class dissected cadavers, cemented her interest in the subject. &#8220I'm real interested in how the body works, it fascinates me,” Collins said. &#8220You can put biology into real life because it's you. I love to learn how I work. We got to dissect cadavers and that was just awesome for me.” Collins credits her AP biology teacher, Sue Long, for helping her develop a love of science and said her counselor, Cindy Dugen, played a key role in her academic success. &#8220Mrs. Long really opened my eyes to science and helped me fall in love with it, she is a great teacher,” Collins said. &#8220Mrs. Dugen helped me in school picking the right classes and she pushed me academically.” Collins said her parents, Martha and Dennis, have been integral to her success. &#8220My parents give me a lot of opportunities,” Collins said. &#8220They push me and they have always been there to support me in whatever I do.” Collins was a member of the DHS forensics team that qualified for state this season, and helped the Performance in the Round, a team of 11 students, place 10th by performing &#8220The Search is On,” a comedy skit about finding love. She performed in the Prose category as well. She also participates in the National Honor Society, peer mediation, Spanish Club, intramurals, District 428 multicultural committee and she played one of the main roles in the fall play, &#8220Office Hours.” Kevin Chlum can be reached at kchlum@daily-chronicle.com.