Spirit of Sportsmanship Award: Kaneland's Richtman a class act
Jeanne Ecker, wife of Kaneland girls cross country coach Doug Ecker, noticed something the last four years attending her husband's meets.
The runner who always finished first for Kaneland, Rachel Richtman, also was the first to come up to Jeanne Ecker and thank her for attending.
"She is truly grateful when someone comes to support her and her teammates," Doug Ecker said. "She does not take that for granted."
In four years running cross country at Kaneland, Richtman earned all-state honors all four years. She took 18th in the Class 2A race as a freshman, then 12th, 15th and ninth this past fall.
In track and field, Richtman also ran at state every season until this current spring was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. She took seventh in the 1,600 as a freshman, 11th in the 3,200 her sophomore year and qualified in the 800 as a junior.
For all her excellence as a runner, Richtman is this year's winner of the Daily Herald Prep Sports Excellence Spirit of Sportsmanship Award for the class, encouragement and warmth she brought to high school athletics.
Rachel, who followed older siblings Becca and Matt to run at Kaneland, didn't just learn proper technique from them. She also learned to support all her teammates and competitors.
A common sight at Kaneland cross country meets was to see Rachel Richtman be the first runner into the chute as the race winner, then be the last to leave.
After she finished winning a race, she didn't turn to celebrate with her teammates, coaches, family or friends. Richtman would stay at the back of chute and congratulate every runner she could who finished after her. If any runner was out of breath or struggling after finishing the race, Richtman would go grab them a water.
For the couple of runners who were about to collapse, Richtman put her arm around their shoulder and helped guide them to the medical staff.
Rachel credited her brother for her post-race routine.
"I learned it from my brother, he likes to help the guys," Rachel Richtman said. "Because everyone needs a little something after the race especially these girls who have already cleared out and their teammates have found their other teammates. I just like to cheer them on and ask them if they need anything because cross country is definitely a hard sport and you need a lot of support."
Richtman will run next year for the University of Colorado (Colorado Springs), a Division II program. Her other high school honors include recipient of the Senora Nelson scholarship and the Silvia Flint Memorial KEA scholarship. She's earned the Knights of Distinction award and is a National Honors Society member.
"She has a very positive and upbeat attitude that carries over to the team," Doug Ecker said. "She respects the girls she competes against. She is very humble. Even though during her four years at Kaneland she was the best runner she has never acted entitled. Never once expected any special treatment. The success of her teammates and her team has always been just as important to her as her individual success. She cares about all of her teammates and respects their work ethic and commitment."