The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
University senior set to run at Penn
The miles Justin Iler has logged on tracks, cross country courses and getting his practice miles in throughout Northeast Ohio and beyond is immeasurable at this point.
On the other hand, the miles the University senior will log to continue his standout distance career are nailed down firmly — roughly 423 heading east out of Hunting Valley.
Iler will continue his cross country and track and field career at Penn, where he will pursue an impressive dual major in electrical engineering and business, the latter at the highly acclaimed Wharton School.
For one of The News-Herald’s coverage area’s most cerebral and talented distance performers of recent memory, it’s a natural fit.
“I thought that the academics there, coupled with the athletics, was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up,” Iler said. “For me, I want to go into engineering. I want to supplement that with a business degree, so I’d pursue a dual degree in both of those areas. And what better school to do that with one of the best business schools in the country, Wharton, and their engineering school, they’re ranked in the top three in the Ivy League. I just didn’t see myself going anywhere better than there academically, and athletics, they offer a lot.”
Iler said the final three schools from which he chose were Penn, Notre Dame and Virginia.
This past fall, Iler was third at the Division I state cross country meet with a time of 15 minutes, 26 seconds and was also the D-I Madison District and Boardman Regional champion to earn News-Herald boys cross country runner of the year honors for the second straight season. As a junior, Iler was 10th in D-I at state. He was a firstteam News-Herald all-star as a sophomore.
During the spring, Iler is a skilled stalwart as well, particularly in twomile.
In 2019, he was a firstteam News-Herald boys track and field all-star after placing fourth in D-I 3,200 at state in 9:17.72. Iler was also the Austintown-Fitch Regional runner-up in the event to eventual state champion Vincent Mauri of Warren Howland.
Iler exits as one of three US two-milers in school history to qualify for and crack the top four at state, along with Jonathan Baker (2002) and J.P. Trojan (2015), who also logged fourths.
Similar to seniors across the Buckeye State and the country, Iler lost his final high school track and field campaign as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic. With the top two from D-I 3,200 a year ago in Mauri and Toledo Whitmer’s Jacob Harris graduated and coming off an outstanding cross country season in the fall, Iler likely would have been a D-I 3,200 state title contender in Columbus next month.
“It’s definitely disappointing not being able to compete, but what’s really disappointing is not being with my running community,” Iler said. “Because interacting with my coaches, my teammates and my competitors is what means a lot to me. And I’m not able to do that when I’m isolated on the trail practicing proper social distancing.
“(Social-media interaction) really isn’t the same as really grinding workouts with my teammates or traveling with my coaches and just talking about whatever with them. Being on the track with my competitors and talking before a meet and asking them what their goals are and whatnot — nothing can really compensate for these lost memories.”
Despite the cancellation of the spring outdoor season in Ohio, Iler remains optimistic for getting in one final high school event before heading to Penn — New Balance outdoor nationals, which were rescheduled for July 16-19 in Greensboro, N.C.
“I’ve been maintaining my mileage,” Iler said. “And I’ve been doing some tempo workouts, where I just hold a fairly fast pace for a good amount of time. But what I’m gearing up for is New Balance nationals, because there’s still a green light for that. I’d like to compete in the two-mile race there in July. It’s the only high school meet that is still on the schedule. So I’m looking forward to giving it one last shot.”
A potential shot that materialized in a manner in which Iler and his contemporaries never could have envisioned, minus the, as Iler noted, “lost memories” of a lost spring.
“This kind of isolation definitely teaches us some valuable lessons,” Iler said. “I think the one I’ve learned to value during my time in isolation is realizing how valuable each opportunity you have is and not taking things for granted. And I think I’ve done that a couple times in high school with races, where I’d just go into a race mentally dead or not very excited to race. I bet a lot of other people have done this, too. It definitely changes my outlook on things.”
The miles logged representing US may have unexpectedly taken a quicker detour toward the end this spring, but Iler hopes his legacy in Hunting Valley endures.
“I hope it’s one of hard work and dedication to running,” Iler said. “I know that the current junior class, they’re inheriting a lot, not only with me but with some of our other runners like Cam Monesmith and Graham Clark. If we can just pass the torch on to them, with all the lessons we’ve taught them and memories that we’ve shared and experiences, I think they’ll be successful.”