Harry D. Jacobs High School's Lauren Van Vlierbergen, a cross country & track and field standout, hs been named the national winner of the
Wendy's High School Heisman award. Lauren was announced as the winner at a ceremony at the Best Buy Theater in New York City on December 12, 2014. The ceremony will be broadcast on ESPN2 on Sunday, December 14 at 4:00 PM.
Below is a press release on Lauren courtesy of
Wendy's High School Heisman:
Lauren Van Vlierbergen, 2014 National Winner (Female)
Harry D. Jacobs High School, Algonquin, IL
Lauren Van Vlierbergen is an exceptional student-athlete. She’s committed to doing her best, whether it’s running to win at State, volunteering for her school and community, or helping to save a life. She is the all-star of her high school cross country and track teams, in addition to being a varsity letter winner in basketball. In school, she is part of the National Honors Society and an AP scholar with honors, as well as a student council representative. She is a VFW Scholarship recipient for her Voice of Democracy essay and speech and is part of the Illinois Junior Academy of Science. As a leader in her school she has attended the Rotary Youth Leadership and Fox Valley Leadership Conferences and is part of her school’s Student Athlete Leadership Board.
She shows her care for her community and has earned the President’s Volunteer Service Award for 100 hours of service a year. Lauren is President of the Jacobs Safety Initiative and also President of Girls on the Run, a community organization called where she helps young girls becoming confident athletes and individuals.
Running is where Lauren truly shines. She is the captain of both her cross country and track teams, as well as a varsity letter winner and MVP. Lauren holds her school’s cross country record in the 3 mile and four school records in track in the 4x800m relay, 800m, 1600m, and 3200m. She also holds an Illinois Prep Top Times indoor state record and a county record in the 800m. And if that wasn’t enough, she has placed 1st in the 800m at 4th in the 1600m at State.
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