Burlington High School graduates find love of sport, and each other.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
By Matt Levins at The Burlington Hawk Eye
©2011 The Burlington Hawk Eye
MACOMB, Ill. - Tyler Buckles and Elizabeth Roy (Izzi Roy) fell in love with the sport of running during their freshman year at Burlington High School.
A year later, the two fell in love with one another.
Now seniors on the Western Illinois University track team, Roy and Buckles are embarking on their final running journey together. Their love for the sport has grown through the years and they want to leave with memories that will last a lifetime.
And then they will begin building their own memories that will last a lifetime.
Together.
Roy and Buckles are engaged to be married on July 21, 2012.
Roy and Buckles are about to leave one love behind and begin another anew.
"We met in our freshman year of cross country at Burlington. I went to Oak Street and she went to Horace Mann. We've dated since our junior year in high school. We've been together for 5 1/2 years," Buckles said. "It's been wonderful. I think being at the same school made us that much more united. I love her. Having her on the team is a plus. We have the same friends and we all hang out together."
"We met during cross country our freshman year. We just started talking and it worked out. We met our freshman year and just became friends. We started dating at the beginning of our junior year," Roy said.
Through it all, the two have shared their love of running.
It all began back in middle school with coach Pete Stiefel. It continued in high school under coaches Jim Hofmann and Augie Escobedo. It has flourished at Western Illinois, first under coach Matt Morris, and now under coach David Beauchem. Each of them has played a part in Buckles and Roy getting to the point they are now at.
"I give a lot of thanks to Coach Stiefel and Coach Hofmann and Augie and Coach Morris and Coach Beuchem here. They've all directed me in the right way. I wouldn't be where I am without their help," Buckles said.
"I would have to agree. Coach Hofmann and Augie, they really believe in you and that can really push you. Definitely Coach Morris and Coach Beauchem. They are both great guys and have helped me a lot," Roy added.
Buckles and Roy arrived at this point in completely opposite directions.
Buckles was one of the top distance runners in the state as a senior. He placed 11th in Class 4A at the state cross country meet in 2006 and finished eighth in the 3,200 and 10th in the 1,600 during his senior track season.
Buckles followed former BHS standout and close friend Derek Gibb to Western Illinois.
But Buckles found the transition from high school to NCAA Division I competition more difficult than he ever imagined.
Buckles stuck it out, through the good times and bad. And Roy was with him every step of the way, in spirit if not body.
"It was kind of slow at first, but you just kind of get used to the new system. So far it's been pretty good. I definitely enjoy it right now. I'm pretty excited to have another year," Buckles said. "Probably my freshman year was a little rough. It was tough to get all the mileage in and all the workouts. It was definitely a lot harder than high school. But it wasn't too bad. It wasn't like going to a big school like Iowa, where you're just another person and they filter you in and out regardless of injuries. Here they are more specific toward you and your growth. That's what I like about coming here in the first place. It's definitely been a good time."
Buckles has flourished since that tumultuous freshman year. He ran a personal best 25 minutes, 44.1 seconds in the 8k cross country meet in 2008 at the Summit League Championships and set a personal-best 35:33 in the 10k in cross country at an NCAA Regional in 2009 in Springfield, Mo.
Buckles is in the top 10 in WIU's all-time bests in the 5,000- and 10,000-meter runs in track. He has run 15:04.85 in the 5,000 and 31:38.08 in the 10,000. He has run 4:02.13 in the 1,500 and ran a 4:13.75 in the 1,500 last weekend at the Knox College Invitational at Galesburg, Ill.
Buckles sustained a foot injury during cross country last fall, so he took a redshirt year and will finish up in the efall.
"Last year at conference I PRed in both my 10k and my 5k. I got top 10 in both of those, which is nice. Even at Illinois last year outdoors I ran a 1,500 in almost 4 flat, so it's nice to know that I can have a little bit of a range. I want to break 4 flat in the 1,500 if I get the chance," Buckles said. "I really like our new coach who came in. I like how their training style is. I wanted another year under them, trying to improve my times. I'm trying to get the 10k school record and the 5k school record. During cross country I was dealing with a few injuries and my foot, which is another reason why I redshirted. So that was kind of like a downfall. Other than that it hasn't been too bad. I've stayed mostly injury-free."
Roy found her way back into running in more of a roundabout way. After graduating from BHS, Roy figured her days of running were over. She planned to focus on her studies at Western Illinois.
But Morris had other ideas.
"I came on a visit. I really liked it, it was close to home and I figured it was meant to be. Plus they had my major, so here I am," Roy said. "I didn't start running until my junior year. It's actually kind of crazy how that happened. Coach Morris last year, we were in the dining hall and he said something to me like I was on the track team. I laughed and said, 'No, I'm not on the team.' He asked me if I used to run and I told him I did. He asked me if I missed it and I said, 'Oh yeah, of course I do. I miss running.' He told me I should come out. I kind of laughed at him and said,' Are you going to pay me?' We talked about it for a while I decided that if I was going to do it, I was going to go big or go home. So I put in the miles and got a trainer through Great River Medical Center and here I am. It worked out really well. Chris Reed trained me. He did really well. He gave me that extra edge that I needed."
Before she knew it, Roy was back running again. It took her a while to build her base back up after sitting out for the better part of two years.
"It was tough, all the self-discipline. Getting up and putting in the miles and training before the fall semester of my senior year. It was kind of tough and I had in the back of my mind that I was afraid. What if it didn't work out? I'm definitely glad that I did it because it absolutely worked out and I love it," Roy said. "There was a time when I got discouraged because I wasn't feeling as good as well as I probably should have. I started getting back into it about halfway through my sophomore year, just slowly putting on the miles. It paid off."
Reunited in cross country and on the track, Buckles and Roy have been nearly inseparable. They have been together through the highs and lows, through good times and bad. Whenever one is feeling down, the other is there to pick them up.
"It's good. He understands where I'm coming from. We have that in common, so we can talk about things. It worked out really well," Roy said. "I would never have believed I would be this far. In high school I already had my mind set that I was just going to do the school thing and that's what I had decided on. Now, I am realizing this is so wonderful."
Buckles decided to pop the question to Roy last fall during Homecoming week against Indiana State. Buckles' parents - Gary and Julie Buckles - and Roy's parents - Bob and Doreen Roy - made the trip to Macomb for the football game. During dinner, Tyler proposed to Elizabeth, who accepted through tears of joy.
Making that much more special, it happened on Elizabeth's birthday.
"It was on my birthday. My family and Tyler's family all came into town. It was actually Homecoming. We went to the football game. We went out to eat afterwards and he asked me to marry him. I just got up and started crying and started hugging everybody, so he didn't have a chance to get on his knee. Our families were very happy with it. My Mom just said, 'Oh my God! Oh my God!' My Dad was thrilled. It was exciting," Roy said.
With the big date now set, Roy and Buckles are going to enjoy their last two months of running together at Western Illinois. They still have a few goals left to accomplish on the track.
"I want to crack into the top three in the 10k. In the 5k I'd like to be in the top one or two for the school record list. I'm in the top 10 for both. It's just a matter of getting a good race in. I've run 15 flat for the 5k. I need to get down to 14:40 and then I'm right there," Buckles said.
"Any time that I can just do better. Any kind of PR is great. I have been dropping my times a lot. If I can keep on that and keep doing what I've been doing, that will work out for me," Roy said. "Running has just been great for me and I really love it. Any time I PR I am absolutely elated. Any time I can PR and do well, I think that's great."
Roy is set to graduate in May with a degree in dietetics. Buckles is on course to graduate next year with a major in exercise science and minors in management and nutrition. They hope to someday maybe open their own business together, one in which they can help others stay physically fit and maybe fall in love with running the way they did.
"I would love to have my own training facility and work toward a sports performance area. Elizabeth has a major in nutrition. So it would be nice if we could have our own business together," Buckles said. "I would like to do anything nutrition related, sports related."
Their love of running brought them together. Now, that love has flourished and they are about to embark on a life together.
Even after their running days are over at Western Illinois, Roy and Buckles will always share that common bond, the one that brought them together nearly six years ago. They have been together through thick and thin, through good times and bad, through sickness and health.
They will always share that common bond - the love of running.
"It's kept me more on pace with school work, I believe, because it keeps you more into a routine. I wouldn't know what I would do if I didn't run. I feel like my school work would diminish if I didn't have that routine and training pattern, where everything falls into place. Our cross country team two years in a row had the highest GPA in the fall semester. We all kind of strive to work hard," Buckles said.
"I would say it's difficult. I'm taking 20 credit hours right now. I have a lot on my plate. I am also an officer in four different organizations. I have a lot to balance. But I think it makes me a better person, all the discipline and all the stuff I'm involved with. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I enjoy it. It's a time crunch all the time, but it's very worth it," Roy said. "I would like to do marathons. I think that would be a good thing to keep me in shape and keep me focused. Running makes me happy."
©2011 The Burlington Hawk Eye
