Klingler, Pankau Named EJHS Athletes Of Month

The Effingham Athletic Department runs an Athlete of the Month program every month. Athletes are nominated by head coaches based upon the following criteria: Stats, Accomplishments, Character, Coachability, Leadership and Sportsmanship.

October Winners are:

Jared Klingler - Cross Country

"Jared is one of the hardest workers I have ever coached. His desire to be his best is something to admire. He was our #1 runner all season, winning a total of seven medals this year. He won several meets and came in top five in every regular season meet except one and he came in eighth place at a huge meet to still earn a medal. He was the 3A Sectional Champion for our sectional and placed 15th at IESA State, the first ever boy to medal at state for EJHS. Jared is only a seventh-grader so I'm so excited to get to coach him one more year and to see him excel again. The sky's the limit for Jared!" -- Coach Nancy Ervin

Laynee Pankau - Cross Country

"Laynee was the leader of the girls team all season. She finished first every single meet for our girls, placing in the top 10 at our conference meet. She improved so much and continued to beat goals that she has set for herself. She ended the season with a personal best ever at a highly contested Sectionals race. What a way to end her EJHS cross country career!! Her race time continued to improve all season and is a big improvement from last year. She also juggled both cross country and basketball striving to be the best in both. She has big goals for herself both in running and basketball and I can't wait to watch her reach them as she heads into high school. Her leadership will definitely be missed next year!" -- Coach Nancy Ervin