Unforgettable Autumn for NHS Runner

To say it’s been a fruitful fall for Newington High School’s Katie Bohlke would be an understatement. 

Bohlke, a senior, officially committed to run collegiately at Virginia Tech in early October and then wrapped up her cross-country career in Connecticut by winning a pair of state championships. 

After crossing the finish line first at the Class L championships at Wickham Park on Oct. 28, Bohlke returned to the challenging course in Manchester on Nov. 6 for the final time and ran a personal-best 18:16, taking home the State Open title. Her time at the State Open was 44 seconds faster than her class time and 20 seconds faster the Open’s runner-up, Brooke Strauss of Glastonbury High School. 

“It was unbelievable,” stated Bohlke. “I was super excited, I was happy to be done with Wickham.”

Newington High School cross-country head coach Jennifer Deschenes-Emord referred to Bohlke as a “once in a lifetime athlete.” 

“I’m so thrilled for her and proud of her,” added Deschenes-Emord. “It’s been an honor to coach her. She works so hard, she’s incredibly coachable, and her teammates all look up to her and admire all that she has done.”

Bohlke’s path to first-place finishes has been swift since she became a three-season runner. Her first love was gymnastics, but once
in high school she began to take competitive running more seriously after seeing the success that her older brothers, Joe and Mike Bohlke, had running at NHS. 

“My brothers were a big part of it because they had so much success,” recalled Bohlke. “I wanted to follow in their footsteps.” 
Along with following her brother’s lead, she also created her own path to the front of the pack. 

Over the past four years, Bohlke methotically climbed her way to the top of the leaderboards before breaking through with the State Open title as a senior. 

As a sophomore in the fall of 2021, she finished 6th overall at the Class L championships and 18th overall at the State Open.

A year ago as a junior, she was the fourth finisher during both the Class L and State Open races.

The three girls that finished ahead of her at the 2022 State Open were all returning and Bohlke continued to tirelessly grind during the indoor and outdoor track seasons a year ago to erase that gap for her final cross-country season. 

After placing as the runner-up at the Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) Championship at Wickham on Oct. 17, Bohlke leap-frogged CCC winner Tess Sherry of Conard to win the Class L race with a time of 19:00 — Sherry (19:43) finished as the runner-up.

For her State Open race, Bohlke’s NHS teammates showed up at Wickham Park with t-shirts donning her name and cheered her on throughout the grueling 3.1 course. 

Bohlke credited her supportive teammates for “the energy I had around me” during the State Open. She also noted that the nearly 40 degree cooler temperatures from the class championship to the State Open allowed her to run a faster pace of 5:54 per mile. 

She also had help through the season from the competition within the conference. The top-five finishers at the State Open were all from the Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) and Bohlke noted the local races throughout the season are great preparation for championship season.  

“It definitely helps a lot, because we have so many fast girls in the [conference]”, added Bohlke. “I’m racing them all year and it’s not a surprise when I get to the Open”.

Deschenes-Emord noted that Bohlke and her conference competitors “support each other and that’s what is so great about cross country.”

With the cross-country season wrapping up, Bohlke will next focus on the indoor and outdoor track and field seasons before starting her new journey at Virginia Tech. 

Bohlke said that the Division I school in Blacksburg, VA checked all the boxes and added the close proximity to her brother, Mike,
who is currently running for George Washington University, also went into the decision –– which she called “extremely hard.”. 

“I was picking from a lot of great schools that I loved,” Bohlke said of her collegiate choice. “But the academics are good there and so are there athletics, and that’s what I was looking for.”

Bohlke added that, over the last handful of years, running has become a part of her identity that she’ll take long beyond competition.   

“It’s taught me so much and shaped me as a person,” she added. “It’s the reason for most of my relationships.” 

Deschenes-Emord believes that Bohlke’s work ethic will help her at the highest level of collegiate competition, adding “Katie is always pushing herself to the upper limit. She does whatever it is she has to do –– there are no days off for her.” 

But before the speedster jets off to Virginia to join the Hokies, Bohlke has two more athletic seasons left at NHS where she wants to enjoy the rest of her senior year with her friends locally.

As for goals, Bohlke has a simple approach.

​“Of course I’d like to get PRs, but I just want to finish out my last year running as hard as I can,” she noted.