May 24, 2006
By Jim Fenton, Enterprise staff
After experiencing frustration during the fall and winter, Keith Gill is ending his sophomore year at Stonehill College on a positive note.
The Brockton resident, sidelined during the men's cross country and indoor track seasons due to illness, is headed to the NCAA Div. 2 Outdoor Track & Field Championships this week.
Gill is seeded 10th in the 1,500-meters events with a time of 3:52.42 and will compete in a preliminary race Thursday at 5:35 p.m. in Emporia, Kan. The top eight runners will be in the final race Saturday at 7 p.m.
Competing in the national championships is long way from where Gill, a 2004 Brockton High School graduate, was during the cross country and indoor seasons.
He missed cross country and indoor track because of an illness – anemia – that wasn't detected until January. Gill was able to start training in the middle of February and has been a top performer for the Skyhawks this spring.
"At the beginning of cross country in September, my legs started to hurt when I ran," said Gill. "I had pain in my muscles, and the more I ran, the more I hurt.
"I took cross country off and I went to various doctors, but they couldn't pinpoint what it was. It carried through to the indoor season in January and it wasn't getting any better."
It was discovered then that Gill had mononucleosis, and blood tests revealed that he was also anemic.
He was forced to red-shirt the cross country and indoor seasons and was given vitamins to treat the condition.
"It was really frustrating," said Gill, the Northeast-10 track athlete of the year as a freshman in 2005. "I had to miss cross country my freshman year (due to an injury), and that's my favorite of the three. To miss it again and not be able to help the team, it was tough.
"Going to the nationals, I guess it's making up for everything. Making the nationals was my biggest goal, but considering I missed six months, it was tough. It was all mental. If I kept a good attitude, I knew I could do it.
"We had a meet (at UMass-Lowell on April 15) and I had a (personal best of 3:53.95 to win) in my first 1,500 in about a year. As soon as that happened, I knew I was OK."
There have been no health issues for Gill to deal with since he returned for the outdoor season, as the results have shown.
Gill's best time (3:52.42) came during the Brown Invitational on April 30, and he earned All-New England honors at the regional meet on May 13 by placing fifth in 3:55.
"The mono is gone and I haven't had a cold in a whole," said Gill, an accounting major who was All-New England as a freshman with the 4X 100 relay team. "There is no pain whatsoever anymore. I'm feeling good. I was angry, frustrated and disappointed at times, but now it's going good. My goal is to be an All-American (by placing in the top eight)."
Stonehill coach Karen Boen is thrilled that Gill will be showcasing his running ability on a national level after all he's been through.
"He's such a great competitor," said Boen. "I think a lot of this is he has got a great work ethic. He's tough as nails. You combined someone who is tough and frustrated, and he's going to say, ‘I'm going to do this.'
"Your heart breaks for a kid who goes through what he did. He was going to make an impact (in cross country and during the winter season), but he couldn't compete. But he's doing great now."
The Stonehill women's team will also be represented at the NCAA Championships by junior Dana DeIngenis.
She qualified in the 1,500-meters events and will run in a preliminary race Thursday at 5:20 p.m with the final on Saturday at 6:50 p.m.
DeIngenis is seeded No. 14 with a time of 4:38.51. She placed first at the Northeastern Snowflake Invitational and was third at the Brown Invitational.
