Norwalk's Immel caps career in style

NORWALK — Napping is the key. Zuri Immel spends a lot of time on her feet on any given day. When she isn't putting in work in the classroom or at her job, the Norwalk High School senior is a key member of both the cross country and soccer teams. This month alone, Immel helped the Truckers win the Sandusky Bay Conference and a Division III sectional championship on the soccer field while also leaving her mark on the cross country trails. In soccer, the clock essentially never stops for 80 minutes, save for halftime and random stoppages within a match. And the same goes for the roughly 20 minutes of running the 3.1 miles during a cross country race. "I do sleep," Zuri said with a laugh. "But I normally take naps. Those power me through. I take college classes, and I'm online most of the time, and that definitely helps. Some days get really long, but I enjoy it." But her head cross country coach, Stephanie Pope, questions her star runner's statement on rest. "I don't think she ever sleeps," Pope joked. "But even with everything she is involved with, Zuri always has made time for her teammates and encourages them in every way possible. "Norwalk cross country definitely won't be the same without her next year." After four years of both sports in the fall, Zuri "gets her flowers" this weekend. She is just the second four-time state championship cross country qualifier in school history when she competes in the Div. II race at 12:45 p.m. Saturday at the Fortress Obetz sports complex just south of Columbus. And it did all start because of her love for soccer. Because it's not offered as a junior high sport, Immel instead ran cross country to "stay in shape" for when she joined the soccer team in high school. "Then I figured out I was good at it, so I decided to stick with it," she said. Good choice. Immel now joins the legendary Tracy Meyer, a 1987 graduate, as the only four-time state qualifiers. Meyer was a top six finisher all four times, including a state title in 1986 and runners-up in 1984. "I'm really happy about that part," Zuri said of joining Meyer. "It's exciting, but I'm really glad I was able to reach that level. It's the first time in almost 40 years, so it obviously feels really big." At the regional championship meet on Oct. 26, Immel earned the 16th and final spot to qualify for state. However, she finished 10 seconds ahead of the next runner, and said she had an idea she was in safe standing as the race progressed. "The first mile I knew I was behind (the pace), but if I had gone any faster, I would have died out," Zuri said. "I knew to stay a little behind in the beginning and work my way up throughout the race. "Once I hit the last mile, I realized I had a chance and could make it. But I had a good sense of where I was in the race." The regional race — where she ran a season-best 19:27 — was held at Hedges-Boyer Park in Tiffin. Immel raced the course 16 times in her career between regional meets, league championships and other events such as the Tiffin Carnival. "I hated it at first, but I learned to love it," she said. "Now it's possibly my favorite. There were a lot of accomplishments and good memories on that course." At the Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division championships, Zuri is a two-time individual champion (2021, 2022) and also placed second (2023) and third (2024). Immel has also been a top-five finisher at the district championships four times. She's been third twice (2021, 2022) and fifth twice (2023, 2024). At the region level, she's placed fifth (2022), sixth (2021), and 16th twice (2023, 2024). In her previous three state runs, Immel placed 58th (19:49) in 2021; 17th (19:19) in 2022; and 77th (20:10) in 2023. "Zuri has been such a blessing to coach these past four years," Pope said. "She comes in every day, leads by example and is just an amazing athlete and person. "I still don't know how she has done everything she has throughout her high school career. Not only is she a phenomenal runner, plays soccer and works, but she is also an honor roll student." As for the final race of her NHS career, Zuri said she is going to simply enjoy it. "It's so stressful if I try and think about it," she said. "I'm just going to be there and take it all in instead of worrying about where I finish and how the race is playing out. I just want to run my race and enjoy it."