Chester Boy Breaking Records And Winning On The Track

CHESTER, NJ — At Chester's Black River Middle School, an eighth grader is breaking records after yet another successful track season.

Will Van Etten, who has been running since he was in kindergarten, raced in the Middle School Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky, on Nov. 4, where he finished 11th in the nation.

Finishing in the top 25 earned him the All-American title.

Van Etten has gone All-American 11 times in track in between the 1500, mile, 800 and 3000m events.

Earlier this season, Van Etten competed in the NJ Middle School State Championship, where he became the only New Jersey boy or girl to win the NJ Middle School State Championship twice.

"In 82 degrees, Will smashed the course record of 10:01.8 held by NJ legend Jackson Barna (who is 4th All-time at NJ High School State Championship Course Holmdel and High School State Champ), running the course in 9:50.5 (5:16 mile pace for 1.86 miles), winning the race by over 18 seconds," Van Etten's father, Rob, said.

Van Etten had previously won that exact meet in seventh grade, running a 10:03.5, according to track records.

On Oct. 28, Van Etten also helped bring pride to Black River Middle School, leading the track team to their first team county championship in school history at the Greater Morris County Junior School Team Championship, beating Bernardsville 43 to 48.

"He won the race in 9:08 and became the only boy in Morris County history to win this race in 6th, 7th and 8th grade," Rob said.

Despite his many accomplishments, Van Etten told Patch that he is always striving for more.

"For my final year in middle school, I want to break two minutes in the 800 meters and a mile time under 4:30. With determination and hard work, I believe I can reach these goals. Looking ahead to high school, I have ambitious aspirations. Since childhood, I've dreamt of breaking the 4-minute barrier in the mile, a feat achieved by only a few high school boys, including Marty Liquori from NJ in 1967," Van Etten said.

Since the beginning of his running career, Van Etten has won over 200 races, including roughly 25 New Jersey state championships in the following events: 1500m, 800m, 400m, 2000m XC and 3000m XC.

While in preparation for next year's season, Van Etten stated that he hopes to break John Marshall's 800-meter record of 1:49.5, which he has held for nearly 40 years.

"I am most proud of winning a national championship when I was 13 years old. I secured victory in the 1500 meters at the AAU Club National Championship in Orlando, Florida. This achievement holds special significance for me as it marked my first national win, following several All-American finishes," Van Etten shared with Patch. "The journey to this point required intense dedication and rigorous training. Pursuing this goal has been a significant focus for me, and I take immense pride in accomplishing it. It stands out as a testament to the hard work and determination I invested in reaching that milestone."

Van Etten stated that, despite just being in the eighth grade, he hopes to continue his running career into high school and college and see where it takes him.