by By Dan Ninham
One of the biggest accomplishments of a star high school athlete is to continue on to compete in college. This would be maximizing the gift the athlete has worked with on their climb to be the best they can be.
Demetrius Kaquatosh, 18, is Menominee, a member of the Bear clan and from Keshena, WI.
“I started playing sports in sixth grade with basketball,” said Demetrius. “I did not start to run cross country until I was a freshman in high school. “
“Right now I am competing for Iowa Central Community College,” said Demetrius. “I competed for Shawano HS (WI). Some of my biggest accomplishments would be continuing onto the next level in cross country, as well as winning my conference title in high school and being the first person to qualify for the state cross country meet since 2014 at Shawano HS.”
“My tribal core values help me because I look back and I hope to lead by example,” said Demetrius. “I show others that as long as they put the work in they can do whatever ever they want and I also want people from my tribe to follow in my footsteps and look to chase their dreams.”
“My dad was my main positive influence,” said Demetrius. “I was always just trying to impress him and show him what I can do and try to really surprise him. Another big influence would be my high school coaches and they really helped guide me along and really helped me improve as an athlete all through high school.”
“My uncle Jim Kaquatosh is also an influence,” said Demetrius. “He really helped by giving me someone to chase and try and be better than I was. Uncle Jim always told my family how great of a runner he was and that was always something I wanted to be since I started running as a freshman in high school.”
“Demetrius has been a great addition to our program, and has taken his training to higher levels since beginning with us in August,” said Nick Ekel, Head Cross Country and Assistant Track & Field Coach, Iowa Central Community College.
“Having placed 26th at the Wisconsin State Cross Country Championship his senior year, he has placed no worse than 25th in any of his collegiate meets. Demetrius has an easy-going personality that is on full display with his teammates. He helps lighten the mood at practice and helps the guys focus on the task at hand,” added Coach Nick.
“Demetrius has a ton of potential as a collegiate student-athlete and we are fortunate that he chose to start his college career at Iowa Central,” added Coach Nick.
Dee Brown, Director of Track and Field and Cross Country at Iowa Central Community College and a 12-time National NJCAA Cross Country Coach of the Year, said: “Demetrius, I believe was a late recruit to our program. He has a great build with a good looking stride. Upon arrival he was doing his best to be right up with one of our top groups. I feel he was trying to do too much too soon and suffered a minor injury that set him back a couple weeks. Upon recovering from that however, he progressed back into our training program a bit more cautiously and since then, he has been nothing but exemplary on race day. He has been consistently among our top seven the past month and we expect him to place among the top 25 at the NJCAA National Championships we are hosting on November 14.”
“I really just try to tell myself that I have a bigger goal in mind and this is just a curve in the path,” said Demetrius. “Just because they’re some small road blocks don’t mean it has to slow me down. I also try to tell myself to just stay positive and keep moving forward to get better everyday.”
At the recent Briar Cliff Invite, Demetrius set personal records in both the 5k and 8k. He started the season finishing his first college 8k in 28:07. His recent season best improved to 25:45.
“On September 19th, I seen Demetrius’ leadership when the team was doing warm ups before the race,” said dad Mario. “He was walking by his teammates and ‘high fived’ everyone and getting people pumped up. After he finished his race he stood at the finish line waiting for the rest of team to finish. If you see him before and after a race he always has a big old smile on his face.”
Demetrius Kaquatosh is blazing a trail on the cross country team at Iowa Central Community College and learning and adjusting quickly as he goes.
Photo Credit: Dee Brown
