Hurdling into history

Regardless of consolidations or name changes, South Philly’s only remaining Catholic high school will always bear John Wilsman’s cleat marks.

The 18-year-old runner is the only athlete in St. John Neumann High history to graduate with First Team All-State track and field honors.

Wilsman also is part of the first Neumann track team to compete at the Adidas Track and Field Championships in North Carolina, which took place last weekend. Even though he didn’t win gold, the 400-meter hurdler said he was just happy to make the field.

Making nationals is considered a remarkable achievement, but winning the Catholic League championship in the 400-meter hurdles earlier this spring ranks above the rest, said Wilsman, "because I won by a split second."

"I was real happy," added the runner, of the 2900 block of South 15th Street.

The Villanova University-bound Wilsman credits assistant coach Rob Hill for helping him master the art of hurdling.

The student-athlete’s accomplishments, which included running on the Pirates’ relay teams at nationals, helped bring respect to a program that once was considered the laughingstock of the school. Some students didn’t even know there was a track team until the Pirates started making headlines this year, which included competing in the Nike Indoor Championships in March.

Wilsman didn’t start running track until his freshman year of Neumann, when teammate and friend Rich DiGiacomo convinced him to give the sport a try.

"I just tried out and I liked it," he said.

The rest is history.

In his four years of high school, Wilsman went from rookie to Catholic League star. He acknowledged former coach Daryl Nelson for showing him what it took to succeed.

"He made me realize freshman year that it takes hard work to get you where you want to be," said the graduate, who ranked third academically in his class.

Wilsman and his teammates faced several obstacles along the way, but they wouldn’t quit. It didn’t matter if the squad struggled to get 25 athletes to the practices — which, by the way, took place in the school’s third-floor hallway.

This dedicated group was on a personal mission to earn the track program its share of respect.

After struggling to stay out of last place in Wilsman’s freshman and sophomore years, Neumann’s potential finally became apparent last spring when the Pirates finished fifth out of eight teams at the South Division championships and sixth out of 16 in the freshman championships.

The support from second-year coach Steve Smith helped the Pirates clear that final hurdle from underdogs to Catholic League competitors. Smith had no problem driving the runners to out-of-town meets so they could see how they ranked against the best in the state and the nation.

"Some of the stuff he did was amazing," Wilsman remarked of the coach.

That includes transporting the athletes to Raleigh, N.C., last Friday morning so they could get their first taste of the outdoor championships. Besides the 400-meter hurdles, the All-Catholic Wilsman competed in the 4×200 and 800-meter sprint medley relays.

Though his team placed toward the bottom of the standings, Wilsman was pleased just to have competed against the nation’s best. He ran the 400-meter leg of the sprint medley relay in a personal-best 49.5 seconds, helping the Pirates place 12th out of 14 teams.

With plans to major in civil engineering, Wilsman will take a well-earned break during the next couple of weeks. But he won’t be idle for long: His college coaches are giving him a summer workout schedule. The runner said he’ll need to get stronger if he hopes to see some time during freshman year.

Wilsman, who picked Villanova over Temple and Drexel, said he’s looking forward to being just a short train ride from home at his new school — which also means plenty of supporters will line the stands.

And Wilsman has the potential to keep them cheering.

"I just want to do the best I can in everything," he said.