Friday Feature: Jonah Heckenberg

by Wade Steinlage

Jonah Heckenberg has had no lack of motivating factors in his life. What separates him from the pack is how he internalizes them into success in the classroom and in the athletic arena.

Heckenberg, a junior from Stockport, Iowa, was driven as a youth by watching his older siblings–nine and seven years older than he–but has now found ways to push himself to greater heights. One of the top members of William Penn’s men’s cross country team, he is also an excellent scholar with a perfect 4.0 Grade Point Average as a Business Management major.

“I watched my older brother and sister and learned how to compete the right way,” Heckenberg said. “They were strong athletes who eventually went on to play college sports, but they were also honor students so I witnessed first-hand what it took to be a successful student-athlete. They pushed me, if they knew it or not, to be the best I could be in everything.”

A track and field athlete as well, Heckenberg, who started running in middle school, eventually figured out how to take the reins of his own motivation, using previous failures and pains to achieve his goals. In high school, he was in position to qualifier for the state cross country meet, but an injury sidelined his dream.

“I was in good position to get to state as a junior, but I pulled my hamstring,” Heckenberg said. “I tried to give it a go at districts, but couldn’t make it happen. I used that disappointment to motivate me to work harder and take extra care of my body and I qualified as a senior.”

Heckenberg held his own as a freshman at WPU, posting a top 8K time of 28:35, but really found his groove in his sophomore campaign, knocking off more than a minute at the season-ending Heart of America Athletic Conference Championship with a mark of 27:14.

He attributes his improvement to numerous factors, including maturing and building endurance with high-mileage runs.

“I not only had a PR in cross country last year, but took that into track and cut all of my times by quite a bit,” Heckenberg said. “Being a multi-sport athlete at a small school (Van Buren High School), I didn’t have a chance to run year-round. Now, running all year, I am not losing any fitness and it just keeps building upon itself.”

“Going from 5K races in high school to 8K in college is a big step and learning more about the workouts and the preparation for meets was a huge culture change,” Heckenberg added. “I used to run 20-30 miles per week, but am now around 70 miles. Long run, especially during the summer were tormenting for me, but I got through them. Now, I look forward to getting out and clearing my mind a little bit.”

Soon after his fastest cross country time last year, Heckenberg would be handed a new obstacle to overcome as William Penn made a coaching change. Caleb Drake, who is now in his first year at the helm, quickly set expectations for the program.

“Coach Drake told us what he expected from us and gave us his vision of the program right away,” Heckenberg said. “A handful of us have really taken that charge to heart and are excited to try and build something here.”

Drake, in his short relationship with Heckenberg, has seen his student-athlete grow in many ways.

“Although I have not known Jonah very long, I could tell from the moment I met him that he cares about the things that he invests his time in: his classes, his friendships, his running, and his future!” Drake said. “I remember telling my wife within the first few weeks of starting here that Jonah is the type of individual that I could use as an example and build a team around!”

Heckenberg, who has always liked numbers and is planning for a career in the banking industry after college, loves his sport for numerous reasons, but especially the analytics.

“I have always been curious and wanted to learn more,” Heckenberg said. “The best part of cross country is the numbers show how much you improve. You can set tangible goals and actually see you reach those goals.”

Heckenberg has the ultimate goal of qualifying for nationals with possibly his best chance as part of a strong 4×800-meter relay team in track, is excited about the future for middle-distance and distance running at William Penn.

“We have a tough conference so it won’t be easy in cross country to make nationals, but we have worked really hard,” Heckenberg said. “I think we are capable of a lot, in both cross country and track and I am excited to see what we can accomplish.”