2021 XC Coach's Comments

November 4, 2021

When it comes to hands on coaching, Sectionals is my favorite meet of the season. Conference tends to carry the importance of postseason, but there are no stakes besides having a strong race. Seasons can end at Regionals, but for us, it has mostly been a walk through to sectionals. Sectionals though is the penultimate meet before state, the stakes are highest. No one holds out runners, the lesser teams have seen their season end, so every team here has earned it. It’s also the last meet where ‘survive and advance’ invoked. Many coaches hinge their season’s success on this meet regardless of how the previous ten weeks played out. It is also the last meet where we can truly get a feel for real time scoring and seeing our progress against top rivals, and how to prepare your team for head to head races against certain teams; at the state meet this is next to impossible. And of course, the aforementioned stakes; a trip to the state meet make this day feel so special.

We arrived at Fenton caught between two dynamics; a solid team in August/September that saw a dip in the middle part of the season. And a team that was trending upward closing out their last three meets with impressive first place finishes. What was our true identity? Three other schools were picked ahead of us based on recent performance; Latin School, St. Ignatius and Walter Payton. I would say that most pundits had us safely in the 4th spot behind those solid squads, but I know this assessment wasn't what I was seeing at practice in the weeks leading up to Sectionals. In my mind, our biggest asset was our confidence and consistency, which we found at Elmwood Park, Conference and Regionals. It wasn’t always pretty, but we were trending upward. In our sport, you can’t exactly ‘game plan’ against another team. We can’t make defensive schemes to shut down other teams top runners, so regardless of how we did, it was also going to hinge on how other teams did. In any event, I liked our odds.

I don’t have the total stats, but between 3-4 inches of rain fell in the 6 days leading up to our race at Fenton, a course known for long grass and poor ability to deal with water. Within 2 minutes of arriving, our socks were saturated and it was clear that we made a good choice in putting longer sprigs into our spikes. The coach's meeting was attended, the team scoped out the mud fest that would be their home for about 20 minutes, and at 9:30, the sun came out. Final warm ups took place and the last instructions were given. I took my place 200 meters down from the start and watched the chaos ensue as two disjointed starting areas converged in the muddiest part of the course. The biggest concern here was an athlete falling, but fortunately this didn’t occur and the ‘clean’ start to the race was official after 200 meters. The pack was very clustered and the pace was slow, there would be no PR’s today.

Heading to the white wall, Colette Kinsella settled in with the top 5. Jane McNamara and Sarah Owen were also lingering up in the top 10. Hannah McCarthy, Taylor Lester, Natalie Ereio were in the next grouping and were in quite a bit of traffic that would eventually clear out once the race got to the back square. Looking across the field, I could see Latin occupying the 1-2 spot, which was a surprise to no one. Fenwick’s #1 who bested Colette last week was moving into 3rd with Colette closely behind. Payton’s #1 was holding the 5th spot and these three were stride for stride the halfway point in the race. Sarah was settling into the number 6 spot and had a solid lead over a chase pack of several of our rivals. I knew Sarah could hold this, but the question was, "Could this pack organize and pick up speed to swallow her up?" Hannah had navigated her way out of trouble and was looking to get up with Jane. Our chase group was falling into rhythms, but we were needing them to make some moves upward in the latter half of the race.

From my eye test, Latin seemed to have the advantage. Their 4&5 were ahead of projected spots, and in a race that I projected to be very close, this was going to be hard to overcome. Regardless, there was still much work to be done as the racers entered their last mile. Last week at Regionals, Colette went out hard and then proceeded to shadow Fenwick’s #1 runner, but the gap grew as the race wore on. As Colette has begun to find her early season form, it seems to be growing by the week. As the racers headed into the final quarter mile, Colette only trailed by 10 seconds, not overcomable but much closer than she was a week prior. These two should be neck and neck at the state meet. The best news in this regard was that Colette opened up her lead on Payton’s #1 runner to an insurmountable amount. This spot was one that was going to be needed for us on this day. After Payton’s runner came through, next came Sarah, who was holding her gap over the chase pack. A chase pack filled with our rival’s top runners, more points being gained here. Sarah has been a work in progress week to week in showing her how good she can be and this performance should cement that belief in her mind. She basically ran solo and was being hunted by some top tier runners, but did not back down. After a small pack of runners finished after Sarah, our combo of ‘Jannah’ rolled through next. These two have very different styles mentally and physically, but the results seldom waver. Those two came in 13th and 15th place, respectively, gaining us points back against Latin and widening our gap on Ignatius and Payton. When I saw Taylor at the 2.25 mile mark, the muddy course was taking a toll. Taylor is a heavy leg runner and each step down was that much harder to pick up. But the one thing we’ve known about Taylor is her ability to grind through adversity. When Taylor came to the home stretch, she crushed her finish and gave us every last drop. Not far behind was Natalie Ereio who just continues to improve by the week, and while the stopwatch wasn’t kind to anyone this day, Natalie’s racing IQ has shot up each week. I can’t wait to see her on a clean course at the state meet. Molly was our 7th finisher on the day, and like Taylor is a heavy legged runner (all that time in the lab), so as the race wore on, it was harder to keep that engine turning. A clean course at Detweiller should be the remedy to see Molly get back to hear mid season form.

As I headed back to camp, I checked with my counters and it was clear that Latin was going to be the top team, their number 7 racer ran the best race of her season, just 26 seconds off a PR. This was the difference maker on this day as Latin won by 20 points. I felt good that we were in second, but Ignatius’s pack was good enough to make it close. None of this mattered anymore as I wanted to congratulate our racers on a great day. A constant theme of this season has been us showing up and taking care of business. Trusting the 7 racers to give their all and be their best when the gun goes off. I’ve been around long enough to have teams that can be ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ but this group never deviates. If one is off, someone else steps up. We can’t impact other teams, but we can take care of ourselves. In years past I would be pacing and trying to count everything, worried; ‘did we make it?’ ‘what was our count?’ ‘what did team x have?’ On this day, I was relaxed knowing that we took care of business and were guaranteed a trip to the state meet. When results got posted, it was confirmed; 2nd place, qualification to the state meet for the third straight year.

The week of state becomes somewhat hands off for me as a coach. No speculation on who’s in, who’s out. I still run my numbers, but realize how fickle that can be in such a tight race. We will still run the course and talk about that on Friday, but the heavy work is done. We have the trust and confidence to do our best. There are things out of our control, but we have taken care of the things that are. This week at practice (I’m not finishing this til Thursday) was very loose and relaxed, the way it should be. Our performance this weekend doesn’t validate or prove anything about how good we are, we have already proven that. From 10 am to 10:20, the state will know what Coach Gonzalez and I already do; this is a special group. Detweiller here we come!

Coach Wejman

October 25, 2021

Up until 2010 the IHSA State series was almost always the same; Four Regionals would send five teams to Sectionals. Four Sectionals send five teams to the State meet. Since then, the series has expanded in hopes of creating a more competitive state meet that truly reflects all the best teams. The expansion began in 2011 which sent 25 teams to the state meet, and then in 2020, the plan was to have four sectionals send seven teams for a total of 28 teams. There was no State meet in 2020, so we are essentially in the midst of this ‘new’ way. Regional/Sectional pairings being released is always a day of much anxiety for cross country coaches. Where you go can be as important as how good you are. Trying to understand the wisdom of the IHSA can be a tall order, but the best way to deal with it is just to accept it and prepare your team as best you can.

Most years past, I ran my stats and projections to see what we had to do to ‘make it out’ but this year was different. I still ran my numbers; I still did my projections. But instead of figuring out what we had to do to make it out, I was figuring out how we could win the Regional. No stress, no sweat, no worrying about a season cut short. Due to our team’s strength and depth, the chance to sit some varsity runners did come up in conversations with myself and Coach Gonzalez, but we felt that we wanted to go for the win. We wanted to sharpen our sword. In a roller coaster season, late September/early October wasn’t ideal, so another chance to race at a high level was going to be crucial.

On the weather forecasts in Chicagoland, something to the effect of ‘colder in the outlying areas’ comes up often. Our Regional host, Kaneland, is in these outlying areas. Cold temps arrived late in the week and when we left Nazareth early Saturday morning, it was cold and would be colder out there, but little to no wind and a rising sun, conditions were near perfect when the gun rang out. Our postseason squad, donning their newly broken in post season jerseys seized the race early. Colette Kinsella, who had been dealing with some minor health issues hadn’t really been herself since mid September, seized the early lead. Fenwick’s top runner held back early, but joined Colette 600 meters in and these two would be the pace setters on the day. Our chase pack of Sarah Owen, Jane McNamara and Hannah McCarthy held their positions in the top 10 and were keeping tabs on our main rivals from St. Francis. Not far behind was our back end of Taylor Lester, Natalie Ereio and Molly McNamara. It took a minute to find the black jerseys, but this pack was dialed in and set at a grueling early pace. When the runners headed towards the forest and mile one, Kinsella was comfortably in second place and was looking like her old self. Sarah, Jane and Hannah continued to hold down the fort and kept their split under 5 seconds, ideal is an understatement. Next out of the woods was Natalie who was doing yeoman’s work pushing along an impressive pace for her that would help her earn a personal best time on the day. Taylor wasn’t far behind, but for most of the last few weeks saw Natalie behind her, so this threw her for a loop, but she continued to chip away and gain strength as the race wore on. Molly brought up the caboose on the day and while she was thrown off by the fast early pace she was not going to back down.

As I scooted across campus to see the racers approach the two-mile mark, Colette was confidently in 2nd and appeared to be in early season form and it couldn’t come at a better time. The chase pack all stayed in the top 10 with Sarah and Jane ahead of St. Francis’s number one and Hannah ahead of their 3rd place runner. This was all the good news I needed, but then I saw Taylor coming up on Natalie and both were 20 meters from the St. Francis #5 runner. Mathematically this clinched the Regional title for us, but there was still a mile to go. I kept an eye on the race and everything was holding through the forest. Sarah was surging ahead and setting up a small lead for the #3 spot, Jane was sitting in 6th, but was looking to make another key pass on her way to 5th place and earning medalist status. Hannah was still in the top 10 and holding the spots that she does so well. Hannah can be tough to read during races, but her face always reflects confidence. Before heading to the finish, I was able to catch Taylor, Natalie and Molly keeping their spots and looking determined. While there was still a half mile remaining, a Regional title was all but secured. The final scoring numbers were 2,3,5,9, 19, 6 better than my pre race projections.

In some years past (like last season) we were concerned about making it out of regionals when assignments were posted. This year was different. We weren’t sweating out making it to Sectionals, but would we rise up and match our potential? Last week we took down Benet for the Conference title, but I still found myself asking; how good are we? Can we find the early season magic that we had at Detweiller on September 11th? Would that just be an early peak in a season? All these questions were answered in a span of 22 minutes at Kaneland High School. This group joins the 2010 and 2013 teams in adding a Regional plaque to the spine wall. We now head to sectionals where we will be tested yet again. I like our chances in making it out to the State meet, but the questions once again needed to be asked; how good are we? What are we capable of? What will it take to be one of the best teams this season? All we can do is prepare the team the best we can and then when the gun goes off, we trust the team. Whatever outcome lies ahead, I completely trust this group to be their best, or at least give their best. I will still run my projections for myself, I will still share the race plan with the team, and regardless of how they receive it outwardly, I know that at 10 o'clock at Fenton, we will trust this team.

Coach Wejman

Chop Wood, Carry Water

October 19, 2021

In 2018, the conference announced that the championship meet would be held at Arlington International Racetrack. It seemed like a novelty at the time and was likely going to be a one year thing. But last year, the conference was able to scramble together a conference meet and host it at Arlington amidst a pandemic. When it was announced that the track would close for good in 2021 it seemed unlikely that we’d race there again. However, about four weeks ago it was made official that we would in fact be racing here and we might be the last animals to ever race at the famed chicagoland landmark.

Fortunately, the course had evolved into a true cross country course and not just three loops on the grass track. Unfortunately, with the course essentially being left alone, the grass was thick and uncut, coupled with a healthy dose of dew, this would likely be a slow course. Regardless, we all race in the same conditions, so there is no need to sulk. The frosh soph would face the worst of it since the opening race at 9am would still present some cold conditions as well. It was disheartening to see only four complete teams at the start line, but this seems to be the trend in some schools. With club sports becoming year-round endeavors, participation in less ‘premier’ sports can be a casualty. Since we first encountered her in summer running, Mia Gage seemed to grow up each week in terms of her approach, commitment, and willingness to test herself. When the gun rang out, Mia took a spot amidst the top pack and settled in. Up next we had a pack of runners capping off their debut seasons; Annie Trayser, Erin Briars, and Kate Mangan each came out raw and inexperienced and quickly became consistently strong and dependable runners. They worked on themselves each and every week at practice and we look forward to their growth with a full season under their belts. Olivia Mowrer was next up and we know that Lacrosse is her thing, but she always brought her best to practice (especially game days) and meets. Rounding out the squad was Neeve Olson who didn’t see this meet go the way she wanted to. Neeve had been battling IT tightness for the last several weeks and this race proved to be too much. No one wants to deal with injury, but seeing it impact a runner like Neeve who worked so hard and was so committed to the team, it is gutting. When all was said and done, Mia Gage finished in 7th place, a great finish to a great season. Gage will continue on with the postseason roster and get to experience the hype of Regionals and Sectionals. We fully expect her to be in the mix for the next three years as a varsity runner.

Varsity was next and on this day. I thought back to a response I gave to a reporter about a pre season preview back in August; “We have Benet in our Conference, so that's always a tough foe, but we are going to try to nip at their heels. If nothing else, it is a good test before the postseason.” I held this sentiment until mid September, when it started to look like we were the favorite heading into the conference finals. Despite our status as ‘favorites,’ I knew Benet would bring their best on this day. I also knew that we were nowhere near 100% on our roster. Regardless I told the team that if we ran like we had at Elmwood Park, it would take an epic performance from the Red Wings to take us down. Earlier in the week I gave the team a game plan and Jane McNamara asked to break from the plan and be more aggressive, she said she felt more comfortable doing that. When the gun rang out, St Viator’s top runner (one of the best in the state) took off and was somewhat followed by the number 1 from Benet. From here the race began. Jane took charge of the top pack and looked ready to push the pace as hard as her body would allow. The other three in the wolfpack (Sarah Owen, Colette Kinsella and Hannah McCarthy) settled in and rode with the front pack that would hold together until after mile 2. Our second wolfpack of Taylor Lester, Natalie Ereio and Molly McNamara were where they should’ve been in the early going with Lester holding back a little bit as she has grown accustomed to. Everything held suit and by my count we were up two points on Benet and two points on Marist. Marist has always been aggressive early and while I didn’t fear them in the team score, where they slotted could throw off the scoring. The runners emerged into my view at about 2.25 miles. One and two were settled, but the next runner past the willow tree was Jane. She was holding her spot, but she was struggling to hold it. Benet’s #2 was running her best race of the season and this was enough to make me realize that we might be in trouble. Sarah Owen and a girl from Carmel rounded out the chase pack; these four were in for an epic final mile. Colette and Hannah were both in a bit of no man’s land without much incentive to attack the runners ahead, but also not much threat from behind. Our #5 runner on the day was Taylor who was sitting in 23rd place. Pre-race I pegged her around 25th place, but with Benet’s runners stepping up, I was going to need her to pick up at least 1-2 more spots. This would be a tall order as the closest two were about 15 & 30 meters ahead. As I made my way to the finish area I encouraged Natalie and Molly to get every spot they could because sometimes you just never know what can happen. In the closing stretch, Jane McNamara and Owen pulled ahead of Benet, but both got beat out. This essentially was a 4 point swing going against us. Jane grabbed 4th place and fortunately Owen leaned ahead of the runner from Carmel to take 5th place by two tenths of a second. Colette and Hannah held their spots in 9th and 11th respectively and after a wave of Benet red, it was time to look for Taylor. With fierceness in her eyes, Taylor had long since passed the Viator rival and was now closing in on Benet’s #7. The official count gave Taylor the spot by two tenths of a second. Ereio and McNamara closed out our squad and ran amazing on this difficult course, and while they didn’t impact scoring, their experience will be leaned on for their racing in the coming weeks. I tried to scramble to put scores together, but I didn’t feel confident with my outcome. Senior Natalie Rozmus who had a race herself this day kept score as well. We compared notes and had the same thing, reason to believe that we accomplished our goal, but now we had to wait. In the post race breakdowns and processing, I kept getting asked how we did. All I could say was ‘I don’t know’. But this was in terms of scoring, as a team I knew that we brought everything we had and under the circumstances we battled with everything we had. Seeing exhausted and depleted athletes comfort and appreciate each other is one of the best things to watch as a coach.

The Open race was last on the day, it had warmed a little bit, but it was still windy and cool. The Open race at Conference is a bittersweet close of the season. For most this is their last race of the season, for seniors it is likely their last race ever in a school jersey. We tend to put so much stock in PR’s and performance goals that we sometimes just lose the joy of this sport and what it does for us physically, mentally, and emotionally. When the gun rang out, our seniors wanted to lead the race, so they set out rather aggressively and I was all for it. Senior captain Maddie Bent was running in what will likely be her last race and was in the top five at the first pass. This wouldn’t hold, but Maddie has been a rock solid leader since her freshman year. She will likely finish 5-6 in all time program mileage and there are very few runners I’ve coached who are as universally liked as Maddie. Our next senior finisher was Erin Howard, who is cringing while reading this, but that is what she does. Erin always brought fun to the squad and was every team members #1 fan. She might be more of a track person, but it was a delight to coach Erin over her four years on cross. Natalie Rozmus was the next senior and while this season may not have gone how she hoped, Natalie is a lifelong runner who loves the sport. She isn’t done competing and growing as a runner. A few years ago, we talked about a team culture change and Natalie was a crucial part of this ‘running nerd’ revolution. Isabella Plescia was the 4th senior finisher and really started to save her best races for last, hitting a PR last week at EP and running very well at Conference, a course that was very tough to hit a PR on. One year wonder Anna Sako closed out the senior squad. I always respect it when a senior comes out to give XC a shot. It took Anna some time to embrace the discomfort, but she found her groove and I hope she continues to pursue running after high school. Special shout out to senior manager Bella Brunke who was so valuable keeping things organized and keeping such great times and records for us. One of the best things we’ve done as coaches is have managers do the ‘dirty work’ for us and Bella was so helpful over the last three years. While there weren’t many PR’s on this day, we did have a few on this tough course: Amaris Teran, Kasey Gorman, Absydee Field and Sarah Phillips who will have some great momentum to carry into next season, great job ladies.

October 10, 2021

In the ‘Jungle Book’ Rudyard Kipling said, “For the strength of the pack is the wolf and the strength of the wolf is the pack.” I know I’ve referenced the notion of pack racing before, but I’ve never seen it on display for our team better than what we saw this past Saturday.

Varsity led things off and we knew that if we did our thing, we’d come home with the first place plaque. While winning was our end objective, our true goal on this day was to sharpen our racing and gear up for ‘the big meets.’ We told our top pack to keep things as tight as possible through mile one and then ramp it up for the last two and aim to stay together as best they could. For the next six racers we encouraged the same. They were to use each other to pull through. A wolf is stronger when in a pack and a pack is stronger when it has more wolves in it. Coach and I have gotten good at reading the racers/body language of our runners and use the ‘eye test’ to assess the runners, and from what we were seeing heading into the final mile was that Sarah Owen and Hannah McCarthy were carrying the pack on this day. The strength of these two was able to help pull Colette Kinsella and Jane McNamara through to the finish and keep those four within 25 seconds of each other. At this juncture in the season, no team is going to have 100% of their runners at 100% of health/form, so you need to build the cohesion of the wolfpack to get set for the postseason races when we (hopefully) are in better shape and better rested. The next pack was more spread out for most of the race, but they were clearly using each other. Taylor Lester returned to racing after a few weeks of being banged up. She ran a cautious race and kept her fellow juniors Molly McNamra and Natalie Ereio within reach. As the race wore on, Lester’s confidence grew and she was able to catapult past the other two to be our fifth and final scorer on the day. In the coming weeks, this 5th spot is going to be crucial for us, glad to have Taylor back in the fold. About 30 seconds later McNamara and Ereio came across the finish line virtually side by side. The last three times these two have raced together, their finishes have come within 3 seconds, 6 seconds, and 1 second, respectively. These two wolves have no doubt been fueled by their pack mates. Senior Maddie Bent came across next in what was clearly her best race of the season. Neeve Olson and Evvy Siffermann closed out our roster and these two raced valiantly whilst dealing with some nagging injuries. Being injured is a sad reality of being an athlete, and the grit these two showed at this race earned the respect of their teammates and coaches.

The Open race closed out the day and the Elmwood Park course has long been known to produce “PR’s.” It is flat and open and at this juncture in the season, fitness and racing form are at their peak. From the opening stretch, the Nazareth pack was alive and well; Mia Gage, Maggie Olk, Isa Ortega, Mia Baumel, Erin Briars, Erin Howard and Annie Henehan all got out strong and showed that this would be a Nazareth sweep of the scored races, but there was still plenty of race to be run. Gage and Olk set themselves apart and it would be a 1-2 finish with Gage setting another personal best for herself, Olk was only 10 seconds off her best while managing a busy Irish dancing training schedule. Ortega was next and it’s amazing to see how much she has grown as a runner and racer since her freshman year and her workload backs it up as she closes in on the 500 mile club. In the next 40 seconds it was a marathon* of Roadrunners. (*a group of Roadrunners is really called a marathon). Baumel, Briars, Howard and Henehan closed out the scoring for the day with an impressive 18 points. Equally impressive was the way this wolfpack ran together.

One of my favorite things to do typically after this meet is to list all the names of athletes who posted PR’s: Sarah Owen, Hannah McCarthy, Natalie Ereio, Mia Gage, Erin Briars, Erin Howard, Annie Henehan, Montserrat Rico, Kate Mangan, Amaris Teran, Isabella Plescia, MJ Drabik, Kasey Gorman, and Sarai Rodriguez. That’s 14 names. That’s pretty impressive and another reminder about how it hasn’t gotten easier, we’ve gotten stronger. Seeing groupings of whtie jerseys with that navy ‘N’ no doubt helped these runners reach their potential. The packs made the wolves stronger, but the wolves made the pack stronger as was evidenced by our awards envelope that contained 8 medals and two first place packs.

It’s now conference week, and the season finale for most racers. PR’s might be hard to come by based off of last year’s course at Arlington. Regardless, we will utilize the packs to maximize the wolves and vice versa, and hopefully our awards envelope will be equally big next weekend…

Coach Wejman

Chop Wood, Carry Water

October 4, 2021

The Frosh/Soph 4K race was first (I refer to my tangent from last week and my feelings on races being held at KM distances vs miles. I am not some American elitist regarding the International system, just like to be consistent with what our state races are). The Lisle meet also has always ‘featured’ a gunless start, but they instead use a ‘tone’ that invariably leads to confusion. After an odd false start the racers were off. Evvy Siffermann would be our top finisher on this day as she looks to get back into racing form after a few weeks off. Next up was Maggie Olk and Erin Briars who had their best races of the season in terms of time/pacing, even with the funky distance. Annie Trayser put in a solid closing kick to make some passes in the final stretch. Kate Mangan and Olivia Mowrer rounded out the squad that took 7th overall as a team. Mowrer and Mangan have grown so much in running and racing confidence over the last few weeks and I am really looking forward to see how they handle these last two races.

Varsity was second on the docket and our ducks started to get in a row with Jane McNamara and Hannah McCarthy back in the lineup. We tasked those two sophs to take charge of the race early and drag freshman Sarah Owen with them. Coming up Goose Poop Hill, Jane set the grueling pace for this pack as we had 3 in the top 10 early. Natalie Ereio and Molly McNamara were up next running together for the better part of this race. For the first mile and a half they brought Freshman Mia Gage with them. Most years, Gage would be running at the lower levels to earn some hardware, but this season, we’ve needed her to slot in some Varsity races and she has answered the call. Being around the group and racing against the best will pay dividends for Gage in the long term. Senior Maddie Bent was next and grinded out a hard first mile on her way to her best time for the season regardless of distance. As our top three entered the final 800, their faces were a healthy mixture of exhaustion and determination. The tree lined finish is a long one at Lisle, but a good long test to give the racers a feeling of post-season kicks. Owen locked down the 4th place spot and was closely followed by Jane McNamara in 6th place. McCarthy gave us our third finisher at 12th place and all three of these racers earned personal best times for a converted 3-mile course. Ereio and Molly McNamara rounded out the scoring squad for a team that finished in 5th place. There is still much to be decided as to who will be our 7 runners for the postseason races, but these two will certainly be in the mix.

Closing out the day was the Open race. Again, the lack of meet direction was on display for this final race. Establishing a logical course that kept runners and spectators safe wasn’t important on this day apparently. Nevertheless, the athletes did their best and raced hard as temps began to climb. Isa Ortega set the team pace as it was hard to count places with it being a co-ed race. Close in her shadow was Mia Baumel who looked strong and confident coming through the ‘hill curves’. After Baumel came a solid pack of Erin Howard, Marieclaire Popernik, Annie Henehan, and Itzel Martin. These 4 took turns leading the charge and they all finished within 15 seconds of each other. They were also integral in this squad taking first place overall as a team, a true testament to the depth of this year’s team. Montserrat Rico was next with a personal best time on a converted 3-mile course. Senior Isabella Plescia was one second off her own personal best time. No doubt these close calls with PR’s will be revisited next week at Elmwood Park. The biggest jump of the day came from senior rookie Anna Sako who dropped off a minute from her previous personal best.

We now have our first full week of October; for some the season is winding down with just two meets left. But for some, the championship season is just getting started. The ‘Big Meets’ are on the horizon and big goals are soon to be realized. The standard for our team has been set and we look forward to living up to this standard. Still room for growth and gains, but also time to get our ducks in a row and face this month like we know how.

Coach Wejman

Chop Wood, Carry Water

September 26, 2021

In years past, we have asked some of our top runners to think about sitting out a race in preparation for the weeks ahead. The top 7 varsity runners always have at least two extra weeks of training and racing ahead of them so taking this weekend off can have long term benefits, but short term as well. This year we didn’t ask some of these runners to take a week (or two) off, but told them they had no choice. This began last week at RB and continued into this week at Harvest Christian. This ‘middle block’ of the season was referenced last week as a challenging stretch in the season, mentally and physically. And for the varsity runners, this challenge can be compounded by the fact that we need them at their best for longer than the rest of the team who end their season at Conference.

The varsity squad kicked things off on this beautiful fall day, and with a few of our top runners being spectators some new names got to have a crack at the top race. Freshman Sarah Owen had her safety net of familiar faces removed and she was asked to be aggressive without having her training partners to help pace. It was clear that this was a bit out of her comfort zone, but this is where growth occurs. She found herself in the top five for the entire race, finishing in the 5th spot while the eye test looked good and she finished with a great finishing time on this challenging course. Junior Molly McNamara was next up and battled hard on this challenging course, posting a solid time only about 15 seconds off her 3 mile at RB, on a much more ‘true cross country’ course. Freshman Mia Gage was the third finisher and probably had the best race of the day in terms of time posted, she ran 3 seconds slower than her 3 mile PR, but this was a 5K (approximately 160 meters longer). On top of her solid time, her poise and confidence grows each week. Maddie Bent was next and ran her best race of the season, matching her season best time for 3 miles (but in a 5K Race).

~SIDE TANGENT: if our state course is 3 miles, why do we run 5K’s in invites? Discuss amongst yourselves.

Erin Howard rounded out the scoring 5 with a 5K PR and was followed by Neeve Olson who battled through some soreness. Maggie Olk and Isa Ortega rounded out the squad that finished 8th on the day.

JV was up next and this race would prove to be a crowded one as well. This course is challenging, but it is a fun one in terms of competition, running up and down hills in the forest allows for many chances to make passes and be aggressive. Mia Baumel was our top racer in this race, and she is starting to regain some confidence and strength as she had battled some ailments to start the school year. Her race included a strong finish in the closing stretch. Annie Trayser was next, closely behind her, and then came Izzy Cervantes and Erin Briars all within a minute of Baumel. Itzel Martin was the final scorer on the roster, and they were followed by Annie Henehan, Kate Mangan and Olivia Mowrer. Mangan ran 5 seconds slower than her 3 mile best time and looked super confident in her racing, amazing what just a month and a half of commitment and positive attitude can do to a new runner.

The open racers closed out our day and our own MC Popernik was our top finisher holding down 15th place (and some new medal swag to go with). This was definitely the best she’s looked all season, some momentum to build on heading into October. Amaris Teran, Isabella Plescia, and Abysdee Field posted personal bests in the 5k run, Teran even beat her best time on a 3 mile course. Senior Anna Sako continued to grind out her debut season while battling against some hip soreness. Our freshmen trio of Weller Murphy, Kasey Gorman, and Sarah Phillips continue to grow and learn as runners finishing the 5k race with some confidence that wasn’t present just a few weeks ago. Catie Luzzi rounded out the day for our team running a faster 5k than her season best for 3 miles.

This Friday, the calendar turns to October and “Lisle week” means it’s the end of the ‘middle block’. It is now time for the JV/Open racers to begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel and chase more PR’s and moral victories and it is time for the varsity racers to get their ducks in a row. For them, these middle block races are important, but not as important as what lies ahead.

Coach Wejman

Chop Wood, Carry Water

September 21, 2021

I know I’ve referenced it before, but it’s hard to match the intensity of our first two Invites. After the Peoria meet, there will never be anything that big again. So things do take a downturn in hype-excitement, but these races are where we often see confidence blossom, the personal records drop, and the notion of ‘it’s not getting easier, I’m getting stronger.’

We sometimes reference our ‘coaching friends’ in a somewhat joking way, but we do have coaching friends and the Bulldog Invite is one where many of our friends are at. With this collegiality, we can find ourselves lost in conversation forgetting that we are still supposed to be coaching. Then the gun goes off and we get down to business. The 61st iteration of the Bulldog Relays was held at Indian Gardens in Riverside, a course we ran last year, but this was the first invite here in about 2 decades. The frosh/soph race was first and our group raced with confidence and strength. Izzy Cervantes finished first and gritted through some knee pains to finish with a strong kick. Next came Francesca Hillman, Weller Murphy, and Kasey Gorman who battled hard after being sidelined for the last week. MJ Drabick, Sarah Phillips, and Sarai Rogriguez rounded out the squad. The strength and poise at the finish line for these runners is a far cry from where they were just two weeks ago.

Varsity was next, and while we were flying high from Peoria, keeping that intensity and focus in these lower key meets is the next challenge. On an uneven course in terms of level footing, we encouraged our racers to be aggressive but cautious. Our top 5 racers stayed intact and pushed forth with some pack racing in the early going. The lead group was very aggressive with Colette Kinsella amongst the top runners. Bella Daley from Fenwick has been a top runner over the last couple of years and we knew she would give Colette a great challenge on this day. After mile two, Daley had set up a 10-12 second lead and was on her way to a race victory. What's different about coaching Colette as a junior vs a freshman is her ability to process these races, realize what went right, what went wrong and how to grow moving forward. Our regular season has six chances to learn, grow, and improve and put that forth in the postseason and right now that is our focus. Our next four runners were a tad slow getting out, but quickly went into formation and grabbed a hold of the race from a scoring perspective. Jane McNamara continued to do the yeoman's work setting a solid base and dragging Sarah Owen, Hannah McCarthy and Sam Rozmus along. It wasn’t a great first mile, but the strength and stamina and grit of this foursome showed why our team is getting recognized as one of the top in 2A. It’s easy to get caught up in the top runner on each team, but as I’ve alluded to before, a team lives and dies with its pack, most specifically it’s #5 runner. So when your pack places 7,8,9,11; that’s hard to beat. Another boost comes in when your 6&7 finish ahead of most teams number 5 to help push scores back even more. Molly McNamara and Natalie Ererio have proven to offer some high end results at the back of the rotation, both improving week to week and being ready at the call for whenever varsity needs someone to step in. This sport is a fickle one sometimes and injuries are inevitable, so you gotta have able runners to slot in and do their part. When the scores were tabulated, we took first in impressive fashion. I told Coach Gonzalez that it felt very routine, but sometimes there is a strong sense of satisfaction in doing what you are supposed to do and doing it well.

The JV race capped off our day and we felt confident about this group as well coming off Peoria, but we had no idea what we were in store for. Neeve Olson took the race lead early and was paced by a couple of runners, but she dug in and competed all the way through, finishing in 3rd place and grabbing a personal best for 3 miles (which is saying something on this course and in a race as subdued as this one). Little did we know that there would be many personal bests on this day. Mia Gage was next for us, and she had by far her best race of the season showing more confidence in racing at 3 miles. I am really looking forward to seeing how her season continues on this trajectory. Next up we had some senior leadership with Erin Howard and Maddie Bent holding it down, Howard breaking the 24 minute mark for the first time of her career. Maggie Olk was our 5th and final scorer for the team that finished in second place overall. Olk is starting to find some of her freshman year form after a busy summer with Irish dance and some injuries that limited her training. We were able to show our depth again with the next glut of runners. Erin Briars, Isa Ortega, Annie Trayser, and Mia Baumel all came within 10 seconds of each other, all using the power of the pack towards strong finishes. The personal bests kept coming with Monserrat Rico, Kate Mangan and Amaris Teran joining the PR club.

Coach and I have referenced this at various times, but seeing a JV runner hit that personal best or have the sense of accomplishment is as valuable as getting a first place plaque. Reaching new heights as a program isn’t just about the top 5 or top 7 or top 12. The synergy of our Columbia, Navy and White groups is a real thing and when one group sees results, the others feed on that. While it wasn’t our best week of practice (these middle weeks seldom are), we had a great weekend of racing and our team is trending in the right direction. It isn’t getting easier (spoiler alert; it never does) we are just getting stronger.

Coach Wejman

Chop Wood, Carry Water

September 13, 2021

Back in July when I contacted our AD about our Peoria trip and asked if it would be allowed to return to an overnight experience. We got the green light, but I didn’t inform the team out of caution. At our back to school meetings a month later, things were changing. And when I approached him about it again, the fate of the trip seemed sealed and the overnight trip wasn’t going to happen. This is sad for several reasons but it is the world we live in right now.

Coming off Labor Day we competed in a quad meet hosted by Westmont. This has been a staple on our schedule since before my time and it is convenient for transportation while serving as a solid training meet for us. Because of that, we encouraged our top runners to treat it as a tempo workout. This is a challenging course and with Naz runners accounting for 80% of the field, it can be hard to fire up on a Tuesday afternoon, but we handled it well and took the win.

Our trip to Peoria began early on Saturday morning, but not before a nice pasta dinner hosted by the Boyle’s on Friday after practice. The Hanson Dining Hall does have some charm but nothing like Cracker Barrel on a Friday night. Hopefully next year we’ll be able to sample the culinary delicacy at Cracker Barrel's Morton, IL location. We arrived at Detweiller at 9am and the air was cool and breezy while the sun was beginning to do it’s thing. We set up camp and navigated the bathroom situation before heading to the start line. While warming up and taking in the perks and challenges of our box assignment, we gave our varsity crew a very specific race strategy for at least the first mile. We were in box 9 which is good in that your line is ‘more true.’ On the contrary, you have to get out hard as those merging from the right will aim to cut you off. I took my spot about 200 meters off the line and saw our white jerseys popping against a sea of color charging at me. I moved to the half-mile spot past the evergreen tree and liked what I saw. Colette Kinsella was sitting in the top 10-15 and was settled in her spot. Not far behind was our pack of Sarah Owen, Sam Rozmus, Jane McNamara and Hannah McCarthy were working in unison with McNamara doing the early pace setting. Next up was Taylor Lester who we also challenged with getting out hard and she responded. Sidled up to her was Evvy Siffermann who was battling soreness but was determined to run on this course. Neeve Olson, fresh off giving her team talk, was next and she was closely followed by Molly McNamara and Maddie Bent who last ran on this course at the state meet in 2019.

At the mile marker Coach Gonzalez and I checked in with a good report. My text to him was ‘If we aren’t happy with today, it won’t be because of mile one. Our athletes went into the triangle looking confident, but it’s important to see their faces when they come out. The triangle is isolated, it is without many fans, it lets you see how far the leaders are in front of you and it’s not even a triangle. The faces of all ten of our runners gave me the confidence I needed to know that we were having a great day. By my count we had 5 under 60 and perhaps even better. Counting racers on a day like this is tough, but I knew our grouping was solid. At mile two the faces were looking tired but determined. I yelled as much encouragement as I could, not knowing what was being heard. Kinsella was still top 15 with a half mile to go and I was trying to keep tabs on our 1-2 split. Then, I saw Owen looking dialed in. In just one week, Sarah has matured as a racer and is starting to put some things together. I’m really excited to watch her development as the 3 mile races pile up. Jane’s early grind was wearing on her as Sam was able to inch past her. Hannah was clearly challenged by the fast pace but she held her spot in the pack. It was clear our top five were in the ‘dark place’, but they seemed to like it. As I ran to the finish to push forth the top five, I heard someone yell for Taylor. It was Taylor Lester’s brother and I was pleasantly surprised to see Taylor within 15 seconds of McCarthy. The stats started coming in and what was abundantly clear was that our plan worked. We set out to be aggressive and confident, and we were. Six runners were under 20 minutes (we had five do it at the state meet in 2014). Our 1-5 split was 70 seconds. These types of numbers are what you see on the top team stats after the state meet. When the results were posted, we were proud to see our name in the 5th spot. This was a statement meet and we made the statement that we plan on being back in November.

After we told the team, we were all riding pretty high, but there was still work to be done. The open race was next and in the hour that had passed since the end of the varsity race, temps had risen substantially. I don’t have the data to prove it, but I’m pretty confident this was the warmest race we’ve had at Detweiller. The open race of this meet has been evolving over the years, and in the last several First to the Finish races, they’ve made it an open race for all teams there regardless of class. This makes for one crammed start line; not sure how many started the race, but 595 finished it. Coming off of last season, this was a sight to behold and it just felt good to get this experience back. Natalie Ereio was our top finisher, continuing to grow as a runner and gain more confidence. Isa Ortega was next as she regains her fitness after a spring and summer that saw her sidelined, no doubt she’ll be in the mix for a postseason spot come October. Senior Erin Howard led a crew of rookies through next, Mia Gage, Annie Henehan and Izzy Cervantes stayed within 15 seconds of the captain. Really happy with the way this crew raced and battled through the conditions. This group finished 18th overall and 4th from 2A Schools, showing off our depth as a team. When scanning over the PR’s on this list, it is always great to see. Veteran’s typically don’t find PR’s this early in the season, but the rooks set a strong mark for themselves and now comes the opportunity to expand upon this and set new marks. After Cervantes, PR’s were posted by: Annie Trayser, Olivia Mowrer, Erin Briars, Montserrat Rico, Kate Mangan, Weller Murphy, Anna Sako, Sarai Rodriguez and Sarah Phillips.

We had a long sweaty bus ride home to revel in our day (and an extra passenger in our 5th place trophy). But the calendar still reminded us that we aren’t half way through September, a long way to go. Many more weeks to grow and improve, to tend to our wounds, and build strength on top of them. More wood to chop and more water to carry.

Coach Wejman

September 6, 2021

In the last 18 months the word ‘normal’ or ‘normalcy’ have been tossed around way too much, so my goal going forward is to use these words as little as possible. (History teacher’s tangent: The word normalcy is often attributed to Warren G Harding as the inventor of that word. However, the word was first found used in the mid 19th Century, though Harding did make it part of our vernacular, and that might be his greatest accomplishment as President). Last year was pretty much a complete cross country season. We had meets against other schools, we ran at a conference championship, regional, sectional and an unofficial state meet. One thing lacking last season was attending ‘big meets,’not in the sense of importance, but in the sense of large numbers of racers. To my knowledge the biggest race any of our girls ran in was no more than 50 racers per state law.

Our first invite has always been hosted by LT. In my first season in 2008, I was blown away by a sea of yellow and blue. Sandburg high school had blue tops and yellow shorts which added to this color scheme, but the real impact was of the yellow tops and blue shorts worn by Lyons Township. They carried close to 200 runners on their team back then. They always have more than 50 JV runners, making for some congested starts which is something none of our freshmen OR sophomores have seen in competitive cross country. Even for our upperclassmen, it has been 22 months since they raced like this. We tried to explain this to the team all week but in reality you can’t know it until you experience it.

Our JV squad started the day off at 8am. It was a cool and overcast day, perfect conditions we seldom get for a day this early on the calendar. When the gun rang out, freshman Sarah Owen moved up in the pack and seemed confident. You never know how a freshman will respond to a race of this size/length (most junior highs max out at 2 or 2.5 miles). Not far behind her was a trio of Neeve Olson, Molly McNamara, and Natalie Ereio, these three took turns setting a pace for each other. Next up it was Mia Gage and Isa Ortega who jockeyed back and forth for our 5th spot and would be our ‘door closers’ for scoring on the day. (Cross Country scores the top 5 runners). Our new white jerseys stood out for our remaining pack runners; Maggie Olk, Annie Trayser, Erin Howard, and Izzy Cervantes were all next up competing to be a top 7 runner on this day. After mile two, Owen had moved into 2nd place and looked poised for a battle to the end. She was able to close a sizable gap, but got out-kicked in the final 100 meters. Regardless, finishing in 2nd place in this race is nothing to scoff at and we look forward to watching Sarah develop as a racer in the coming weeks. Olson, McNamara, and Ereio used pack racing to all come in within 12 seconds of each other. Gage ended up as our 5th scorer with Ortega close behind. The scoring was hard to calculate and LT was likely going to win the race, but I felt that getting hardware was in place so we just had to wait for scores to come in. It was great to watch Owen, Gage, Trayser, Cervantes, Erin Briars, Olivia Mowrer, Kate Mangan, Montserrat Rico, MJ Drabik and Annie Henehan complete their first 3 mile race as Roadrunners. Special shout out to Catie Luzzi who ran in her first 3 mile race in which she ran for the entire race. When the scores were calculated, we finished on the podium in 3rd place which is no small feat in a race like. We made it by seven points, showing that every spot matters.

Varsity raced next and we were hoping this would be a chance for us to put out an opening statement on the 2021 season. My knowledge of 3A schools is very limited, but just on past experience this meet has offered some elite competition. Top 3 was a lofty goal, but I didn’t want to rule it out. The gun rang out and the race got rolling. I took my usual spot at the 600 meter spot and saw Colette Kinsella up front with the lead pack. I then began searching for white jerseys and felt they were too far back. Post race, Coach Gonzalez said they got boxed in and got caught in a cluster of other racers which does one of two things; prevents you from a proper stride and keeps you from finding an early rhythm or forces you to exert extra energy to bypass congestion. For veteran racers, this shouldn’t happen, but for our pack, they hadn’t raced in a race of this size in high school. As the race unfolded, ground was gained, but against teams this strong, you can’t have set backs like this early in the race. The race did begin to open up and Kinsella was in a 5 runner pack at the halfway point. Sophomores Sam Rozmus, Hannah McCarthy, Jane McNamara and Evvy Siffermann picked up where they left off, forming a tight pack with Rozmus and McCarthy setting the pace early. Taylor Lester was up next and started conservatively. This was her first 3 mile race due to some health issues and, despite the start, she began gaining ground. Veteran stalwart Maddie Bent rounded out the 7 varsity runners, I feel like Maddie is an 8th year senior as she has been consistently good for so long. Heading into the last half mile, Kinsella got caught in ‘no woman’s land’, too far from the 1-2 racers and far enough ahead from 4-5 to not be threatened. She also claimed 3rd in this race as a freshman, which cannot be overstated how impressive it is to have showings like that in a race as competitive as this one. Rozmus and McCarthy came up next, finishing within 10 seconds of each other. McNamara was next and despite having an ‘off day’ but she was a mere 9 seconds off McCarthy. She appeared to be cramping up earlier in the race, but kept our pack tight. She is one of the grittiest racers we’ve ever had, this was just another example. Lester was next and her cautious race strategy played out very well for her, no doubt we will see her confidence rise in the coming weeks. Siffermann was only a few seconds behind her and Bent closed out the day for our varsity seven. When the dust settled, we finished in 5th place, which by my research is the top finish in program history. All four schools ahead of us are 3A (three of them ranked in the top 20). When doing post op with coach, we agreed that this meet checked all the perfect boxes for a season opener: Strong efforts, lessons learned, things to build on, beating all the teams we should have beaten, and confidence growing amongst the newcomers/middle pack runners. Attention now turns to the state course and the illustrious First to the Finish race in Peoria.

JV and Varsity set the table, but it was time for the freshman to close out our day. Three racers opted for the 2.25 freshman race and had the blessing and curse of watching their teammates compete before them. Weller Murphy, Kasey Gorman and Sarah Phillips have evolved from unsure team members on day one, to confident runners and now racers. These three had an awesome week of practice and were ready for action in what would be their first full race. Murphy was the top finisher learning some lessons about pacing early on. Gorman and Phillips used each other as racing buddies with Gorman pulling ahead in the end with a strong kick. We always love the high stakes varsity races, but the true magic of this sport is watching athletes with little to no running background grow and evolve as runners and racers. We ask them to think back to this race often and realize all the progress they make over weeks, months and even years.

It is 61 days until the state meet (as of Monday evening). Lots of training, races, blood, sweat and tears ahead of us. We are where we should be and starting to redefine what normal is for our program.

Coach Wejman

Chop Wood, Carry Water

August 31, 2021

For an educator when Sunday hits, it’s a mix of happiness and anxiety. When this Sunday hit, I realized that it is time to fire up the coaches comments which hit me with a bit of both as well. I love to reflect on the week that was, but it is also another thing to add to the to-do list. For a lot of reasons, this season has added equal doses of happiness and anxiety; happiness that we are entering a ‘normal’ season, anxiety that it will be a normal year with 5 days of in-person schooling done at 3:00. Last year, we were in-person 4 days a week and done by 2:30. I will always trade our current model to last year, but ‘free time’ is harder to find this year. In any event, we were happy to kick things off on August 9th to inaugurate another cross country season. Last year was an ordeal, but still one of the most rewarding seasons I’ve had as a coach. The growth we made as a team was amazing, amidst the backdrop of a pandemic, I still have moments of asking myself, ‘did that really happen?’

When you return all seven racers for a team that finished 13th at the unofficial state meet, it’s hard to surprise people or be under the radar. Knowing that, we began to challenge our Columbia group early in summer. We knew the attention would be on us and resting on our 2020 accomplishments would mean nothing in 2021. With that said, we had tired athletes from soccer and track seasons that went later than ever before and were crammed with meets/games that could wear down young athletes. We made the choice to start later while focusing on quality vs. quantity of our summer training. When I began coaching in 2008, getting girls in the weight room was a challenging proposition. The attitudes about female athletes was still in a somewhat archaic mindset (it was only in 2001 that girls ran the full 3 miles at the state meet). We dabbled over the years, but had a hard time getting it all to work. This summer we challenged our Columbia racers to make it a reality. We expected tepid participation, what we got was inspiring. For the last two weeks of summer training and the first several weeks of practice, we’ve been crushing workouts and mileage with the plans of meeting and exceeding our pre season rankings.

The first days of cross country aren’t just about returning runners, it’s also about freshmen looking for a group to be a part of. It’s about cast-offs from volleyball, it’s about soccer players looking for a fall sport to keep fitness, it’s about a girl who didn’t have a place to be after school that gives in to her friends who have been urging to join the team. I call our team ‘the orphanage’ as we take anyone. And this is true. Anyone CAN run, anyone CAN move forward for 3 miles, but it isn’t easy, it isn’t without commitment, and it isn’t without struggles. But in the end, it is rewarding and fulfilling. From our top runner to the run/walkers who are just trying to finish, cross country is the sport for anyone who is willing to work.

I never fail to be inspired by the new crop we get every year to go along with our returners. Every July, I have moments of worry that: A) no new runners will join this team and/or B) none of them will buy into our team/program. Every year, I am one year older and one year detached from my 27 year old self, yet every year another group rolls up to campus. They vary in levels of confidence but always carry that awkward aura of an incoming freshman. After moments of standing around, we begin our warm up, go out on a short (and manageable) run and all the barriers break down. We stop becoming individuals and start becoming a team. Some step up and assert themselves, making a push to be with the top groups and others just try to finish the run. Regardless, we are all part of the same team.

Our meet season kicks off at Elmwood Park for the ‘Trial on the Trails’. A notoriously fast and flat course is a good place to start a season. We’ve been coming to Elmwood Park since before I began coaching and it’s always been a good start to the season. The Juniors and Seniors kicked things off amidst 90 degree temps. It was hot and while the clouds offered some protection, the thick air was undeniable. We laid out some plans for our JR/SR squad but mainly reminded them to mind the pace with the heat while being ready to seize the chance to compete. The starter was efficient as I was not ready when the gun went off. Junior Colette Kinsella took a hold of the race and settled in with a rival from Immaculate Conception (IC). These two did battle two years ago, so this wasn’t their first encounter. Taylor Lester and Natalie Ereio came through next followed by Maddie Bent, Isa Ortega and Erin Howard. As mile two came around, the conditions of the day were taking a toll. Kinsella and her IC rival were stride for stride heading into the final hundred, unfortunately Colette was out-kicked, but posted an impressive time of just over 12 minutes, a Nazareth record on the two mile course. Lester came through next in 8th place and showed some resolve in her first race in two years. Ereio made her cross country debut posting an impressive sub 16 minute time. Bent and Ortega rounded out the scorers to secure us a 2nd place finish in the team scoring. Special shout out to Annie Henehan, Montserrat Rico, Amaris Teran and Anna Sako who made their cross country debuts as well. Always looking forward to watching rookies progress as they figure out how to race (and hopefully won’t have to contend with these conditions).

The Frosh/Sophs were next and while the heat was still a factor, storm clouds were gathering during the boys race. We could only hope we’d be able to squeeze our final race of the day. The radar didn't look promising, but the gun went off. For all racers, this was their first time at Elmwood Park so the newness was exciting and for even our sophomores, racing against multiple schools in one heat was a bit of a deviation from last year's wonky season. We told our 4 returning varsity harriers; Sam Rozmus, Jane McNamara, Hannah McCarthy, and Evvy Sifferman to get out with confidence and take control of the race. This wasn’t meant to be as a freshman from Latin had other plans, running a sub 12 two-mile. With that out of the way, we encouraged the foursome to run aggressively and push the pace together. They also dragged freshman Sarah Owen with them to create an impressive pack. Neeve Olson manifested her impressive offseason, just being 30 seconds off the pack at mile 1, and freshman belt holder Mia Gage was with her at the halfway point. Maggie Olk, Annie Trayser and Erin Briars weren’t far behind, illustrating my beliefs that this is our deepest team ever. Latin took the one spot comfortably and as our 5 runner pack rounded the final turn with an IC runner, the Thor Guard lightning system went off. When this happens the rule is ‘get back as fast as possible to camp.’ For these runners, that meant the finish line. It was a mad scramble to the finish and a good test this early in the season. Starting a race and not being allowed to finish is a tough pill to swallow, but we can only hope it stokes a fire that will want us to get back at it for our next opportunity. This will come at LT on Saturday September 4th in what will be a good chance for us to put an early mark on the 2021 season. Owen was the only rookie runner to finish this race, so I’ll save my debutant shout outs til the next one, but I was proud of how excited these girls were to run and how upset they were to not be able to finish. Coach Gonzalez and I can recall times when that wouldn’t have been the case.

As I finish this on Monday (having trouble locating that free time) it is another reminder of how fast the season can move. As we now shift into September (and invite weekends) the days and weeks fly by. Our eyes are geared towards Detweiller, but our progress will be occurring in the present moment only. Life will continue to be busy, Saturday mornings will be occupied with bus rides and packed racing schedules. Sundays will be physical days of rest, but those feelings of happiness and anxiety will no doubt return and reinstall the feeling that hopefully this will be a normal season.

Coach Wejman

Chop Wood, Carry Water