Hemann continues to make Clinton County proud

It seems like only a short time ago.

When Jena Hemann walked out of O’Brien Stadium in Charleston a little over four years ago for the last time, she did so as one of the top athletes in Illinois high school girls track and field history.

A four-time Class 1A state champion in the high jump while competing for Central High School, Hemann had added state championships in the 100 meters, long jump and triple jump for the second year in a row on that late May afternoon in 2011, thus becoming one of only a few female athletes in Illinois history to twice win four state individual championships in a single year.

It was that athletic versatility on the track, first harnessed and then developed by former Central track coach Greg Kruse, which eventually helped Hemann earn a scholarship to one of the premier NCAA Division I women’s track and field programs in the nation at Texas A&M University.

And a career in the grueling seven-event heptathlon was born.

“I didn’t know much about it (hepathlon) going into college, so I was a little hesitant, especially with the 800 meters was the closing race,’’ Hemann said. “Coach Kruse knew I was getting recruited for it, so he taught me the basic things in all of the events that were new to me.

“ I didn’t start competing in the heptathlon until I came to A&M. Coaches just saw that I sprinted and was decent in the jumps, so they figured they could teach me how to throw and hurdle and go from there.’’

What Texas A&M track coach Pat Henry didn’t realize at the time was that Hemann, the girl from a small school in Clinton County, was a big-time talent.

An athlete who would be a three-time NCAA Division I Track and Field Championship qualifier and finished her collegiate career this past June at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. by placing sixth and earning all-American honors.

And Hemann’s not done yet.

Two weeks after the NCAA Division I finals, she placed sixth again at the United States Outdoor Championships on the same Hayward Field track.

Later this summer she will compete in her first international competition, the Thorpe Cup, a meet which features many of the top athletes in the heptahlon and decathlon from Germany and United States.

Now 22, Hemann’s journey from Breese to College Station, to becoming one of the top athletes in the nation in the heptathlon was anything but simple.

A high jumper first

Hemann, also a standout athlete in volleyball and basketball, burst upon the local track scene as a freshman in 2008 by capturing the first of four state championships in the high jump. The title would be one of five straight championships won by a member of the Hemann family. Older sister Jessica Hemann had won a state high jump title in 2007.

The following year, as a sophomore, Hemann gave a glimpse of what was to come when she won her second high jump championship and scored 33 points in the Class 1A state meet. Those 33 points were good enough to earn the Cougars second place in the Class 1A team competition.

While her talents in the long jump, triple jump and 100 continued to improve, it was Hemann’s performances in the high jump which began to bring her regional and national attention.

Regarded as one of the nation’s top high jumpers as a senior, Hemann cleared the magic 6-foot barrier late in the year before going on to capture her fourth straight state championship.

But upon her arrival at Texas A&M, things began to change for Hemann in the high jump. What once came so naturally suddenly became more challenging.

“:A lot of things were changed when I came to college. My approach and everything to the bar was different when I got here. Also my training was completely different. In high school, yes, I didn’t solely train for the high jump either but the training was definitely a lot different when I got here,’’ Hemann said. “Along with that, I put on a lot more weight, most in muscle but still some fat, for the heptathlon and I had to learn how to compete with that.

“During this time I lost a lot of confidence in my ability as a high jumper, which didn’t help. High jump had always been second nature to me and just came really easy and at this point it wasn’t, and I was overthinking things way too much.’’

But as Hemann’s strength and performance in the heptathlon improved, her confidence in the high jump returned

“These past two years things changed. I was back to closer to my old run and was feeling more comfortable approaching the bar. Then, this year, my confidence also came back and I am starting to feel like my old self in high jump again,” Hemann said. “I have cleared 5-10 and some change a few times his year and I feel like if I would have had this confidence back in my freshman and sophomore year, I wouldn’t have lost so much and had to have found it again.

“But I did and it was definitely a learning experience and I think in a way helped me become a better heptathlete as a whole.’’

Learning the heptathlon

A grueling competition spread out over two days, the heptathlon consists of seven events — 100 meters, high jump, shot put, 200 meters, long jump, javelin and 800 meters. Hemann qualified for the NCAA Division Outdoor championships in the event three times, placing 16th and 14th before her sixth-place finish in Eugene last month.

Hemann also was a two-time national qualifier for the NCAA indoor championships, where she competed in the pentathlon.

But learning to handle the physical demands and fatigue, along with the constant mental stress of event, was a difficult challenge for Hemann. Her journey was anything but easy.

“It definitely is a very mental sport, because you can’t let one negative thing effect you because you have many more to go,” Hemann said. “On the opposite side of that you have to still stay focused if you have a great Day 1, because Day 2 is coming up quick and you need to be mentally prepared for that and can’t check out early.

“ I think that doing four events may have helped a little in high school, but there I was running around back and forth. Here I know where I’m going and when and don’t have that added pressure of missing the event on me. Also I get 30 minutes to warm up for each event so in that aspect it’s a little less stressful. One main thing is just preparing for the four- or five-hour day that is ahead of you and making sure you have the right fluids and snacks with you so that you can stay fueled throughout the whole competition.”

Sensational senior

A member of an Aggies women’s track program which is annually in the hunt for the NCAA Division I team title, Hemann was a key contributor for a squad which won the title in 2014 and was second in ’13.

But it was this past season in which Hemann became one of the best in the nation. She set a school record for points — 6,002 — at the Texas Relays in March then set a personal best of 6,022 points with her sixth-place finish at the United States Outdoor Championships.

Hemann said the main reason for her sensational senior season was the return of her confidence.

“I would definitely say it had to do with me just getting my confidence back in myself,” she said. “I also have had great communication with my coach (A&M assisant coach Kris Grimes) and that I definitely feel like that helped. He listened to me when something wasn’t feeling right and would alter the workouts to that if need be.

“ I also would say that this year was more fun for me than it had been in the past. I wasn’t overthinking things this year or trying to hit a certain mark in an event or a certain point total in the heptathlon or pentathlon. I was just going out there and competing like I know how to. It may have been that I knew it was my last year. so I was just taking it all in and enjoying the last few meets that I had as an Aggie.

“Also, if you would look at me from freshman year to senior year, you would be able to see that I definitely understood the heptathlon better and learned how to handle the pressure and stress of the seven events over the past four years.’’

The good, the bad and the ugly

Like all heptathletes, Hemann has events she excels in, those she does not and those she wishes would go away.

An all-state volleyball player at Central, Hemann said the arm motion she used for hitting has, at least in part, made her strong in the throwing events — the javelin and the shot put. She won the javelin competition in the heptathlon at the NCAA Championships.

“I would say compared to other heptathletes this is my stronger event. I honestly don’t know why? They say a lot of times you either get it or you don’t and I’m just one of those people who kind of got it from the start,’’ Hemann said of the javelin. “I think it may have to do with my experience as a middle hitter in volleyball. I had to be aware of the court and know if I needed to swing right or left, instead of mainly just one direction all the time.

“ I think with having to do that it helped me with the follow through motion of javelin. Yes, they are very different and you don’t throw a javelin like you hit a volleyball or even throw a softball, but similar enough to where it helps me understand the event.”

Hemann’s bad and ugly events in the heptathlon? That’s an easy one.

“It’s the 800 meters. ... I’m pretty sure it is every heptathletes least favorite event,’’ Hemann said, laughing. “We all always joke about holding hands and walking the 800 together so that we can save ourselves, but I have yet to see that actually happen in a meet.’’

Up next and the future.

Hemann remained in College Station following the NCAA and U.S. Outdoor Championships to train for the Thorpe Cup, which will be held in Germany on August 8-9.

She also is working toward her masters degree — after earning her undergraduate degree in finance. With a minor in sports management, Hemann is considering a career on the business side of professional or college sports.

But athletically Hemann may still have a ways to go. Athletes who compete in the heptathlon and decathlon traditionally don’t peak until well after they are out of college.

“I am kind of just going with the flow and seeing where it takes me. It has never been my idea to really train post collegiately, but here I am,” she said. “This year things have kind of changed and opened doors for me I didn’t know were possible. We’ll see what happens and when.

“It is very commonly seen that in athletes — especially multiple-event athletes — that they get better and are normally their best at age 26 and 27. I feel like this has to do with the knowledge of the event and fine-tuning everything as you go along. I’m not sure if I’ll still compete or have the desire to. I know I will miss it when it’s over but I’m not sure if this chapter in my life is over yet or not. Well see in these next few months.’’

Craving a Wally Burger

The youngest of Curtis and Lori Hemann’s three children, Jena Hemann gets back to the metro-east usually once during the summer and then for two weeks during the late-year holidays. As for her long-range plans, Hemann isn’t sure where she will end up.

“It’s still undecided. and depends on what happens and the opportunities that I’m presented with. I’m close with my family so thinking about staying here (Texas) would be hard,’’ Hemann said. “I may stay out of Illinois for a few years, but I think when it comes to raising a family I wouldn’t want to do it any place other than close to Cinton County.

“It’s where my roots are and would love to get back there and raise my family with my family.’’

As for her four year career at Texas A&M, Hemann wouldn’t change much, if anything.

“ I absolutely love it here and wouldn’t have changed my decisions for anything. Yes, I have had some bumps in the road and some obstacles to overcome, but it made me the person and athlete I am today,” Hemann said. “It has been hard being away from my family. I am really close with all of them and my brother (Justin) and sister (Jessica) are my best friends.

“It’s hard sitting here watching their lives change while I’m here. They both just bought houses and my brother just became a dad. Not getting to be there for all of that was devastating, but I had to be here for track and school. They have been great this whole time and send pictures and we Facetime all the time so it helps with the distance. But it’s still hard. I can’t wait to get back with my family and to see little old Breese again. And of course get me a Wally burger.’’

This story was originally published July 18, 2015 at 11:15 PM with the headline "Hemann continues to make Clinton County proud."