Daily Chronicle 2025 Girls Track Athlete of the Year: Sycamore’s Alyssa Stacy

SYCAMORE – As a sophomore, Alyssa Stacy was just happy to get to state.

As a junior, the Sycamore senior missed the season finale, setting her up with a clear goal for the 2025 season.

She blew past that, not just qualifying for state but earning medals in the 100-meter dash and the 200.

“It was really, really nice to have that accomplishment,” said Stacy, the Daily Chronicle 2025 Girls Track Athlete of the Year. “I didn’t think I’d make it to Day 2 in either of my events so that was really special. It was really, really fun this year because I was able to understand how the meet works and what I was getting into. I was able to have more fun with my friends and teammates that made it.”

Stacy finished the 100 in 12.48 seconds to take eighth. She was sixth in the 200, clocking a 25.39.

Both of those times were down slightly from her times the day before in the preliminaries. She won her heat in the 100 in personal-best 12.3, and set a PR with a 25.39 in the 200.

Stacy said she just wanted to be in the mix in both races and was very happy she ended up as a dual medalist.

“I definitely wasn’t expecting it but I’m really glad I accomplished that,” Stacy said. “I’ve been working really, really hard this season, coming in on weekends and staying after practice. I had really fought to get stronger and faster in my preseason, so it was nice to see all that work actually did pay off.”

Coach Joe McCormick said Stacy worked almost nonstop after the end of last season to earn a trip back to state.

She continued competing in cross country in the fall with coach Adam Bezinovich, which he said gave her an advantage during the track season.

“Most people don’t think of sprinters as cross-country runners, but we have a great cross-country coach that can modify some of the workouts,” McCormick said. “It builds a great base so you’re still working the fast-twitch muscles during the cross-country season, but you’re building a strong base so you come into the indoor season really strong.”

Stacy won both the 100 and 200 at the Interstate 8 meet in early May. Her 12.65 in the 100 was a PR at the time, a mark she would break in both the sectionals and the state preliminaries. She recorded a 26.3 in the 200 at the conference meet and shaved almost a second off the time when she took second the next week at the Sterling sectional, finishing in 12.5.

“Coach Bezinovich and I knew she had another gear we hadn’t seen quite yet,” McCormick said. “She peaked and, man, at state it was just phenomenal to watch when she won that 100-meter dash prelim. That just kind of set the tone. It was a fantastic weekend for her. I am really proud.”

Stacy heads off to Wisconsin-Whitewater to continue her track career. She said it’s a friendly team, smart staff, modern facilities and a nice school.

She also liked being able to compete at the NCAA Division III level.

“D-I was too competitive, very pro,” Stacy said. “I wanted to just have fun with track and still be able to compete.”

McCormick said Stacy leaves behind a legacy in showing exactly what hard work and determination can do.

“After the disappointment of last year, I think she was just determined she was going to state this year,” McCormick said. “She just locked it in, went out for cross country to build a base. She specialized in some training, came to every offseason workout. Focused on the blocks to get every tenth of a second she could shave.”