Oct 31, 2012 3 min read

Name: D’Heaven KelleySchool: WashingtonClass: JuniorSport: Cross countryKelley’s week: Kelley was the top local finisher at the WPIAL Cross Country Championships, held last Thursday at Cooper’s Lake Campground in Slippery Rock.A first-year member of Washington’s team, Kelley completed the 3.1-mile course in 17:33, despite 80-degree temperatures that wreaked havoc with runners.”From a temperature standpoint, it was really hot,” Kelley said. “I drank a lot of water, and it didn’t really work. But I felt good after I crossed the finish line because I knew I placed. I was disappointed in what time I got, even though it was really hot.”New to running: Kelley ran track for the first time as a sophomore last spring, competing in the 1,600-meter run, as well as the 3,200, the 4×800 relay and occasionally the 800.He went out for cross country after his best friend, Elijah Ellerman – both ran on Wash High’s WPIAL gold medal-winning 4×800 relay team – suggested he give the sport a shot.”He started out well, but I think it took him a couple races to figure out how to run the race best for himself,” Prexies cross country coach Jessica Ott said. “He had to figure out how to pace himself – when he can kick it in – and he’s worked on his areas of weakness and has really improved.”Many accolades: Besides the WPIAL race, Kelley was second at the Washington County Coaches Cross Country Invitational at Mingo Creek Park, and he also medaled at the A.J. Everhart Invitational in Uniontown Sept. 22.Kelley was one of three local runners – Burgettstown’s Marco Bennett and South Fayette’s Frank Morelli were the others – to advance to the PIAA Cross Country Championships, which will be held Saturday in Hershey.For the first time in a long time, perhaps since the days of Anna Beck, Wash High has a distance runner who’s a legitimate threat to win a WPIAL title.”He had it in his mind that, at WPIALs, he wanted to qualify for states,” Ott said. “He went into the race with a positive attitude, just like he does every race.”Not one to sit around: Kelley has always been drawn to art and enjoys drawing – not so much scenes, but people. He also skateboards, though he promised Ott he wouldn’t do it during the season, and he’s also into freerunning, essentially a variation of freestyle walking.But instead of pulling off a bunch of crazy tricks, Kelley would rather use his legs as his primary mode of transportation. For example, if he needs to go to the store, Kelley is running.”Before I knew Elijah, I didn’t have rides anywhere,” said Kelley, who claims to have once run from Washington to Canonsburg. “So I would pretty much run everywhere.”Has that altered his training for cross country?”It has changed a little bit,” Kelley said. “I still do (freerunning) on the weekends, but not the weekdays because I have practice and school.”- Compiled by Jason Mackey