MTZ’s Koslofksi signs for track and field at Millikin
Kemper Koslofski signing his letter of intent to compete in Track and Field at Millikin University next year. Koslofski is surround by his family and Mt. Zion boys track and field coach Joe Fritzche.
By BLAKE FAITH
Staff Writer
Mt. Zion boys track and field senior Kemper Koslofski has signed his letter of intent to compete at Millikin University next fall.
Koslofski started as a distance runner according to Head Coach Joe Fritzche as a freshman. Coach Fritzche said that Koslofski has always been a hard worker
“Regardless of what you put him in, whether it’s distance running, sprinting, or just as a human being, he’s gonna work hard at that,” Coach Fritzche said. “Now, what I’ve seen with Kemper, though, is he’s developed from a mid-range distance runner to all of a sudden, one of our best sprinters on the team. He kind of talked to me sophomore year about wanting to transition to sprinting, and I said maybe. I didn’t know at the time what he could do and he blew me out of the water with his abilities and how hard he worked. He worked for everything since his sophomore and junior year, he was on the all-state team for the 4×200 when they broke the school record and now he’s a part of the 4×100 So he’s leaving Mount Zion with two school records right now. And this is a kid who started as a distance runner and transitioned everything about him as a human being and as a person.”
Coach Fritzche said that Koslofski was one of the best leaders he had on the team. Everyone respects Koslofski and what he brings. Coach Fritzche said his legacy will also be remembered for his work ethic and his name on the record boards at the high school.
“When those kids are walking through the big gym, at the high school, they’re gonna see his name on the record board for 2021 in the 4×200 and for 2022 for 4×100,” Coach Fritzche said. “Those are recent records that these guys are going to be gunning for and trying to get. Not only does it give our kids the motivation to try to top that, but it’s going to give them just having the leadership that he had, has impacted some of our, current sprinters and even distance runners, because when he’s when he’s hyping up the team, when he’s talking to the team in the huddle, he’s talking to every one of those guys, you know. So every one of those guys is going to look at that and to see what a good leader is, and how he sets a standard that way.”
Koslofski chose Millikin, because it is very close to home and he had great experiences with the team and the coaches.
“They aren’t focused on what the track program is, they are focused on what it could be and they prioritize hard work to achieve what the team could be,” Koslofski said. “This aligns with my ideals as well.”
Koslofski will take the values of hard work and brotherhood to Millikin and those values were instilled into him on day one at Mt. Zion.
Koslofski’s athletic goal is to be a part of a relay team in his first year at Millikin and be able to set personal records in all of his events. He will be studying English with a focus on journalism.
Coach Fritzche said there’s not a whole lot he can say to Koslofski when it comes to final advice before he heads off to college.
“There’s not much that I could say to him that he hasn’t already done,” Coach Fritzche said. “He’s got great character, he’s responsible, he knows right from wrong and he is one of those kids that I don’t have to tell to straighten up and to not mess around. He is always the one that is going to actually make sure the kids are behaving, because the one thing that I try to coach is you want to represent Mount Zion well. You want to represent any school you’re running for, you want to represent that well. And I think Millikin is so lucky to be getting Kemper and I think the advice that I would want to give to Kemper is just keep being you because he’s a great kid. I think he’s going to do amazing things at Millikin with the coaches that they have there. And some of our other kids that have already gone to Milliken have had a lot of success already. So I think he is going to be a part of that and hopefully a part of Millikin’s legacy now.”
Koslofski said that he will always remember and cherish about being a Brave is being inspired by team leaders, becoming a leader and setting Braves’ history
“I’m always going to remember being inspired by my team leaders when I was a freshman, and then getting the opportunity to be a leader my senior year,” Koslofski said. “I will also never forget winning a sectional as a team and finishing second overall in the IHSA 2A State Championship and receiving that sense of validation that I was a part of a historic group of runners.”
