Roundup’s Jace Lemmel is easy to spot on the track.
The junior is one of the more physically imposing athletes in the area, so it might be surprising to learn he’s finally replacing weight he lost earlier this year.
“I got pretty sick with some dual viruses," Lemmel told MTN Sports. "After basketball I really started to hit the gym and eat a lot more, gain some more weight. Now I’m about 185, so I feel a lot better and bigger.”
Lemmel says he lost about 15 pounds while battling the illness, but he certainly looks like himself on the track. He’s among the best sprinters in Class B in the 100 and 200, but it’s the 400 where he’s really blossomed.
“Looking at his build, we were thinking that with how strong and how tall he is he’d be a great 400 runner," Roundup coach Tannar Cummings said. "We put him in mid-season and he made it to state, almost placed at state. Ran really well. This year he’s been really eager to condition for his goal in the 400."
While Lemmel can pick them up and put them down, he’s still not the fastest on his own team. That honor belongs to classmate Jordon Olson, who currently has Class B’s No. 2 time in the 100.
“It’s awesome they have great competition with each other. But they’re also so close to each other, too," Cummings said. "They can goof around and laugh around, they know that each other is going to beat each other or lose to each other on certain days and that’s the greatest part about them competing with each other.”
“It really pushes me. I love having Jordan next to me. We’re like brothers. In practice we can’t really run together otherwise we’ll end up racing," said Lemmel. "We’re really competitive, but on the track right after we’re just brothers. It’s all love.”
Lemmel and Olson are quite the 1-2 punch for Roundup.
