The fall of 2011 was an incredible one for Naperville Central cross country team captain Amanda Fox. With 11 first place finishes, including Conference, IHSA Regionals, Sectionals, State and the NXN Midwest Regional meet championships, 6 course records, 1 meet record, and the second fastest state time in IHSA history, Fox was a dominating force from start to finish. Crowned 2011 Illinois Cross Country Gatorade athlete of the year, the season was definitely, as the IHSA state meet announcer called it, “the Amanda Fox show.” For all of the spotlight, the diminutive Fox remained humble and team-focused, true hallmarks of her competitive heart and generous worldview. “Winning the cross country state meet my senior year was a memorable highlight. The memory was not just from winning the meet, but from all the support I had from my teammates, coaches, family and friends who have supported me throughout my whole high school running career,” Amanda remembers. “It was such an honor to win the meet and bring the title back to the school who recognized me in many special ways including a school assembly and during other sport events.” A 4x IHSA Cross Country state qualifier, 4x DVC All-Conference selection, 3x DVC Conference champion, and 3x DVC Academic All-Conference honoree, Fox’s entire cross country career was special. While there are many accomplishments on Amanda’s highlight reel of memories, her fondest ones feature the Redhawks she shared her time with: “Brittany Fisher, Shelby Pealer, Alex Cushing, Lina Alvino, Anna Kaspar, and Kailey Mikulec. Brittany and Shelby brought so much team spirit, leadership, laughter, and passion. They took me under their wing my freshman year, providing me with encouragement and guidance to help catapult my running career. I remember aspiring to compete at their level and their excitement for me to be contributing to the varsity team. Alex, Lina and Anna were such great mentors and friends that continues to this day. Kailey’s competitive nature and drive helped to push me to the next level.”Fox’s feats on her feet were just as impressive in track and field where she made a definitive mark over four years, including a 9th place (2011) and a 3rd place (2012) IHSA state meet finish in the 3200m, earning her All-State Track recognition. Amanda readily credits her success to her coaches, saying, “I am grateful for how much they pushed me and our team to perform our best. All their unique coaching styles helped to develop me as an athlete and person on and off the course. They had a special way of bringing 100 girls on the cross country team together and make us proud to compete as a Redhawk. As my head cross country coach, Coach Aislinn Hicks helped to truly motivate me during practices and meets through all her wisdom and personal running experiences. She knew my potential before I even believed it in myself. She always inspired me from her own training and work ethic and continues to support and push me now throughout my current running career. Head Track coach Matt Blondell helped me improve my running form which overall improved my performance in track and cross country. He truly cared about developing me as a person and athlete. “As committed to Redhawk life in the classroom and the community as she was in athletics, Amanda found her fun in spirit weeks, football games, school dances (memorably, she was asked to Homecoming at the finish line of one of her races), all-school assemblies, and as a leader in Mrs. Pat Adamatis’s Adapted PE classes; she cultivated her leadership voice as a freshman mentor, academic tutor and National Honor Society member. It’s safe to say that at Naperville Central, Amanda fully embraced her dad’s motto: “You get out of it what you put into it,” pouring herself into the people, places, and passions that meant so much to her. After graduation, Amanda took her running shoes to the University of Illinois, where she was Academic All-Big Ten and competed at NCAA Midwest Cross Country Regionals all 4 years. She finished among the top 5 Illini in all of her cross country races, and in 2012, she was awarded the Women’s Cross Country Best Newcomer Award. Fox competed at the Track and Field Outdoor Big Ten Championships in the 10k for 3 years, holding the 10th fastest 10k time in school history, and at the Track and Field Indoor Big Ten Championships in the 5k for 3 years. Amanda graduated from with a personal best 10k: 36:08 and 5k: 16:54, along with a degree in Kinesiology. Fox earned a doctorate in Physical Therapy from Northwestern University and is currently working as an outpatient physical therapist. From 2012-2017, Amanda was a summer camp counselor for NCHS cross country, inspiring a next generation of young runners to love both the sport and the relationships that come with it. Her personal competitive fire still burns, completing the Dallas, Chicago, and Boston marathons, a half-Ironman 70.3 and several Olympic distance triathlons. Her advice to NCHS athletes is quintessentially Amanda: “Stay disciplined and humble. It’s important to celebrate your achievements, but also to always want more and keep on finding ways to improve. Make yourself one percent better each day as a college coach once told me. Put in the work every day at and outside of practice, so you can show up to the start line or game for yourself and your teammates knowing you did everything you could. Finally, enjoy your experience as it is very rewarding being part of a team working towards individual and team goals and creating memories that will last a lifetime.”Fans, coaches, teammates and loved ones fortunate enough to watch “the Amanda Fox show” have a lifelong memory of watching her fly