WOOD RIVER - East Alton Wood River sophomore Aidan Loeffelman is a valuable multiple-sport athlete for the Oilers - cross country, basketball, and track. This fall, he is the top runner in the Oilers boys' cross country group.
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For his efforts this fall, Loeffelman is the Riverbender.com October East Alton Wood River Male Athlete of the Month.
Loeffelman has been running high school cross country for two years and track since sixth grade.
Loeffelman is coached by Russ Colona.
“I would like to thank my mom for getting me to practice and making sure that I have what I need," he said. "I would also like to thank my aunt who signed me up for 5K runs with her and really got me into distance running. Without her, I wouldn’t be the runner I am today.”
Some of Loeffelman's accomplishments were making it to state in eighth grade for track and that served as a big eye-opener for him.
"Qualifying for state in eighth grade really set me on a running track," he said. "Also, being MVP of the cross country team last year really helped me keep going."
Loeffelman explained his broad interests: “I enjoy woodworking and building things, I also really enjoy hanging out with friends."
“With the whole pandemic taking away everyone’s spring sports seasons, I feel as if I need to come back stronger and really work harder to achieve my end goals.”
He plans on majoring in architecture and running for Texas A&M. He would like to mention that his overall GPA has gone up drastically since last year.
“Before I even had a thought of becoming a distance runner I had a few coaches say they thought I could be a good distance runner," Loeffelman said. "I thought they were crazy, I guess times change.”
Riverbender.com's Athlete of the Month Program is made possible by the generosity of our sponsors and the cooperation of our area high schools. This is a great accomplishment and one to be very proud of. Please join us in congratulating this young athlete. We at Riverbender.com wish you continued success in your future!
