Lily Ginsburg helped Prospect High School’s 4×800 meter relay team win state championships as a freshman, sophomore and junior, meaning as a senior she had history to pursue, but unfortunately, a stress reaction in her femur put that history in jeopardy.
“When I first found out, I was definitely doing the math in my head, trying to calculate when I would be back and how much practice I would have to do before state, but as it got closer to the end, I realized I had a good few weeks to start practicing and get in some races,” Ginsburg recalled.
The 18-year-old couldn’t run for six weeks while the injury healed, but returned in late April, enough time to regain her fitness and help the Knights’ 4×800-meter relay team win another state title, becoming the first girl in IHSA history to win the same relay event four times.
“I’m really excited because every year it’s been so much fun knowing who I’ll be competing with and against,” she said.
Knights head coach Pete Wintermute has watched Ginsburg win all four state titles.
“I don’t know if it’s possible to explain what Lily has accomplished in four years,” Wintermute said. “Just a true competitor.”
Ginsburg not only celebrated her own history at Eastern Illinois University last Saturday, but also got the chance to celebrate her school’s history when Prospect High School won its first team state championship in girls track and field.
“When we found out we won the last event, I was in the stands with the rest of my team and we were all hugging and crying, it was so exciting,” Ginsburg recalled.
Ginsburg plans to continue her storied running career next fall by competing for the University of Missouri Tigers track and field team.
