Everybody has a niche. Whether you know it or not, you have one too. For Madison King, it’s running. On November 8th, 2025, King ran a 17:06 at State to conclude her Cross Country season. This dramatic personal record landed her in 17th place and on top of that, she became the first girl in Joliet Central history to be crowned with the title of all-state qualifier.
While this is the first year King has gone all-state, it’s been a long time coming. King began her running career in the 6th grade and has continued all the way up to her senior year in high school. She’s consistently improving her times season after season, actually making it to State both her sophomore and junior year, but falling short of all-state. This steady refinement has led her to one of her best years overall. At every meet, King managed to place within the top 5 and eventually, go on to place 3rd at Regionals, 2nd at Sectionals, and secure a place for herself at State. Driven by an intense urge to do her best, King readied herself at the start line, and waited for the gun to go off, 17 minutes seemed to fly by and finally, King had done it. She placed 17th and procured her all-state title. King, her coach, and seemingly all of Joliet were overjoyed at her success.
But, despite her massive achievements, King still cited her team as one of the primary reasons she loved this season so much, stating, “I really enjoyed it. I had lots of fun with the team and was able to finish my last season here as an all-state runner.”Overall, King closed out her senior Cross Country season decked out in medals, surrounded by a team she adored. Though, this isn’t the last time we’ll see Madison King. The end of one season brings another, and soon, King will be running a track rather than a course.