All one needs to know about why Whitehall junior Bobby Jazwinski is now a state champion is in the schedule he kept the day after winning the Division 2 meet Saturday at Michigan International Speedway - two different six-mile runs.
"I still have a few more races, hopefully four more, this season," Jazwinski said by way of explanation. "I love running so much. Any day without it seems not fulfilled. It really calms me and makes me feel very free. I couldn't imagine my life without running."
It's a life that now includes a state championship after Jazwinski outraced East Grand Rapids' Jonah Workman by five seconds on the MIS course. Jazwinski's time was 15:07.1, which was the third-best time of his career - all three have been set in the last three weeks - and just 11 seconds off his personal best from regionals a week prior.
Among Bobby's cheering section at the race was sister Jessie, herself a two-time state champ. She came up from North Carolina State University - she's a freshman runner for the Wolfpack - to surprise him.
"The day before the race I woke up and saw my sister making breakfast downstairs and I was like, 'What are you doing here?'" Jazwinski chuckled. "My dad (Bob) told me the night before that he was getting something for my grandpa in Grand Rapids, and he brought back my sister. I was very surprised to see her. It was great to see her and have her
there at the state meet."
Jessie and Bobby did run on the same course two years ago, when both were Hart runners; Bobby earned all-state that year. Bobby said the course didn't run much differently than it did back in 2023, though because the Division 2 race is later in the day than the D-3 race, it was a bit warmer this time around.
Jazwinski entered the finals race with the strategy of running along with the pack for two miles before making his move to pull away. Vikings coach Jeff Bassett and Jazwinski's dad told Bobby that anyone who stayed with him after he made that move would be his competition down the stretch, and only Workman did. Jazwinski had won every race this season by large margins - including against Workman at the Portage Invitational, when he won by 31 seconds - making Saturday's a mental test as much as a physical one.
"When I saw Jonah still with him coming into the stadium, that was the first time this season someone was really testing Bobby's resolve," Bassett said. "It takes a special athlete to be able to deal with all that pressure (of being the favorite), rise to the challenge and be able to have a finishing kick like that after such a tough race."
Jazwinski said he's gotten great advice from his sister over the years on the pressures of the state finals meet, and that, in addition to his own experience from 2023, gave him the tools he needed to close it out.
"It was so much relief and happiness," Jazwinski said of his emotions upon crossing the finish line. "Words can't describe how happy I was to win a state title."
Jazwinski is the only runner in the state of Michigan to win every race he entered this year, a goal he set prior to the season. He said he wrote it on his wall and used it as motivation any time he needed a boost to put in the necessary work.
"I looked at it every day," Jazwinski said. "It felt great to end the season accomplishing my goal. There's nothing quite like it."
Given his success, it's no surprise Jazwinski is already receiving some collegiate attention. He said he "100 percent" wants to run in college, though he's kept the focus on his junior season so far. Once he's done with his meets for the year, he said he will likely begin looking at taking some college visits.
Two teammates joined Jazwinski at state - Rex Pumford and Hunter Parsons. Pumford, a sophomore, finished 88th at state, with a time of 16:39.8, and Parsons placed 127th, with a time of 16:54.4. For Parsons, who beat his 2023 time at the speedway by 12 seconds, it was his final high school run as he is a senior.
"At MIS, he stayed tough throughout the race and finished with his best time at MIS," Bassett said. It was a hard-fought race and a great way to finish his senior season. Hunter has made a big impact on Whitehall cross-country over his four years.
"Rex qualifying as a sophomore...was an amazing accomplishment. Although his race at MIS didn't go exactly how he wanted it to, he stayed tough and got to experience the atmosphere of the state meet."
Jazwinski said his two teammates would've been his picks to run with him at state above any other athletes and praised both their performances.
"I think both of them ran very well," Jazwinski said. "I thought it was awesome...They both deserved to be there so much."
