Former State High runner having an early impact on Penn State’s cross country team

Penn State cross country coach John Gondak was driving the lead cart as he always does at the Spike Shoe Invitational in 2024 when one runner caught his eye — State High senior Isaac Oppermann.

Gondak had known about Oppermann for a few years, as he has a very close relationship with the coaches at State College’s high school after following the program for many years. He was aware Oppermann had talent, but after seeing it for himself at Penn State’s home course, Gondak knew he wanted the then-high school senior wearing the blue and white in 2025.

“I got to watch him race basically the whole time, and he ran a super impressive performance on our course,” Gondak told the Centre Daily Times. “And I said right at that time, I’m like, ‘this is somebody that we need to work to see if they can join our program.’”

Oppermann has now been competing for Penn State for two months, and has already had an early impact. Last month, he was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week after his performance at the Dolan Duals meet, showcasing his quick adjustment to the college level.

He always knew he wanted to run at the collegiate level, but where he would do so was up for debate. Growing up in State College, Penn State was always right around the corner, but there was a time during his high school years when Oppermann wanted to run somewhere farther from home.

Eventually, he realized staying in Happy Valley was what would be best for him, and a dream he had when he was younger turned into reality.

“When I was younger, I really wanted to come here,” Oppermann told the Centre Daily Times. “For the middle part, so like sophomore and junior year of my high school experience, I kind of wanted to leave the state and leave home, but the idea of representing my hometown and getting to compete for my hometown really settled in senior year. So, I really wanted to come here, and then I guess, in a sense, it just ended up happening.”

The journey to Penn State

Oppermann decided his freshman year of high school that cross country and track was his future, so he honed in purely on that. He poured more into his running career more than he ever had, whether it was on the track or off in the gym.

That dedication propelled Oppermann to reach new heights his sophomore year, especially during his spring track season. He ran a personal record in the 3200-meter, which gave him a newfound confidence that never wavered.

“Isaac always had the huge potential,” State High track and field coach Artie Gilkes told the Centre Daily Times. “He always was someone you could see was talented. So I think that the coaching staff anticipated (his breakthrough). I don’t know if he did. Maybe he did, but didn’t realize what it would feel like.”

Oppermann followed up his great sophomore year with a solid junior one, but his senior season was really where he shined. Gilkes said Oppermann was “hitting on all cylinders” his last year at State High and was the lead cross country runner on a team that won states and qualified for nationals before helping the track and field team win states as well.

But that doesn’t mean it was always easy for Oppermann. Before indoor states, he suffered an injury to his IT band and couldn’t run for a month, and he “kept getting sick” at the worst times. Oppermann didn’t let that jar him, though, as he knew there would always be more races for him to run.

“I was sick at cross country states last year, (which) caused me to underperform. I was sick at nationals too, which caused me to underperform,” Oppermann said. “But at the end of the day, it’s like the end goal for me is not high school, and similarly, the end goal for me is not college. So I kind of just tell myself like, ‘Fine. I get sick, I have a bad race, so I don’t compete where I want to compete, but it’s fine because it’s not going to be the last one.’”

Despite the setbacks, Oppermann still had a successful and fulfilling career at State High. He said the program is “like family,” and he even had the opportunity to run with his younger brother, Theo, who he hopes joins him at Penn State in the future.

Gilkes especially was an important mentor for Oppermann, and the two still have a great relationship. Gilkes said his former athlete considers himself one of the coach’s favorites and is even in a group chat named exactly that.

“He knows that we’re proud of him and that everything we tried to do while he was in high school was to make him a better person, better athlete,” Gilkes said. “And we joke about the times he got in trouble or didn’t get in trouble, and I would say it’s a fun relationship. He’s a fun kid, and we joke around quite a bit.”

Making his mark in Happy Valley

While Oppermann excelled in high school, the college level has its differences. College runners run 8k races, which are five miles long, compared to running a 5k in high school.

That’s been an adjustment for Oppermann, who said the longer distance can be “rough to race,” but it hasn’t been too bad just yet.

“A lot of first year athletes take some time to develop and time to get used to the new race distance that you run in college,” Gondak said. “But I think one of the keys to his adjustment right away is his confidence in who he is and his confidence as an athlete, and that’s what’s helping him make such a great adjustment to the college level.”

The real differences Oppermann has noticed are those that come off the track. Being a Division I athlete requires training at a higher level than high school athletes, which has been an adjustment for the true freshman.

But a lot of the normal adjustments to simply being a college student have been much easier for Oppermann.

“I knew the campus, I know the downtown area, I know our running routes, so I know a lot of the stuff here, which definitely helped,” Oppermann said. “But it wasn’t too hard. It wasn’t too hard to transition. And also with the classwork and stuff, it’s not too much. I mean, you have less classes, more work, but it ends up being about the same. So it was a good adjustment.”

Though still early in his college career, Oppermann is confident he’s going to have an impact on Penn State’s cross country program, and his goals extend far into the future. His belief is and has always been “the higher you shoot, if you don’t hit that target and you fall short, you’ll be higher than if you shoot for shorter goals.”

Oppermann wants to win an NCAA championship and go professional, but he also wants to stay present in the moment. It’s clear so far, though, that Oppermann is pretty special, and it all stems from the way he’s wired.

“It’s being a competitor again. That you compete in everything you do, and the best runners that have come through the program over the years, that’s what they do,” Gondak said. “They compete in everything they do, and he’s going to be a great competitor for our program.”