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Back-to-Back-to-Back-to-Back-to-Back-to-Back State Qualifiers!
11/09/14
In 2010 Nazareth Academy sent their first team representative to the state finals. I told the team to enjoy the experience but don’t let it overwhelm you. It overwhelmed me. Seeing great programs, coaching legends, and all the hoopla, it was hard not to get caught up in everything. I also thought we would become one of those programs, I thought I was on my way to becoming a coaching legend. Reality set in when the following year we didn’t make it as a team but sent two individuals. The following year we sent one individual, last season we sent another. This year, we laid down the gauntlet to our team that we were going to state; our team slogan was ‘no eXCuses.’ We had set this goal in years past and hadn’t achieved it, so we knew there were no guarantees. We also knew that we had to commit ourselves to summer mileage, and to go the extra mile in every workout we did. Through moments of doubt and setbacks we achieved our goal last week and made it again as a team.
We left Friday morning for Detweiller Park. Not as a team accompanying one or two individuals, but a team. Every runner with a possibility of running, every name of the 12 member varsity squad listed in the official program. The state trip is always fun, but it felt different coming down as a full squad. I saw the great programs, I saw the legendary coaches, but this time I more so appreciated how great this accomplishment was. I wasn’t worried about what the future of our program held, I just wanted to enjoy this amazing team.
After a Friday practice, team dinner dressed in our finest smart casual attire and a couple of games of Mafia we went to bed dreaming of Detweiller Park.
Saturday morning brought cool temps and high winds, it also was race day. After a breakfast alongside soon to be four time champ Yorkville, we headed for the park. Veterans of this day view it as another cross country race, newbies watch with eyes wide open. The 1A schools did their thing as the race announcer rattled off schools from towns most of us never heard of, we then headed to the boxes. It’s a lot easier to be greedy with space at the starting boxes when you have a full team. We spread out and did our pre race routine. The race officials verified our roster and running 7. I gave one last pep talk and told the girls I would see them at the finish.
The gun rang out and the last race of the season had begun, our start didn’t look great, but at this race it’s easy to think that. I caught our squad at about the half mile spot, our pack looked great. Our goal was top 10, but would need an amazing effort. At mile 1, our 1-5 split was 8 seconds. For team score reasons, this is ideal, but it also means our top runner needs to get up more. It was clear that this wasn’t Claire Ramsey’s best day, but one trademark of this year’s team is their ability to pick up a struggling teammate. Couldn’t be more proud of how this team ran on this day. After Claire I kept seeing duos of Columbia jerseys. First it was Gianna Levato with Emily Eddins, then came Emily Beedie and Colleen Cavanaugh, then came Mave Roach and Maggie Harrington. It was as if they were all adjoined by a cable. This was looking good for our team score. It is impossible to keep tabs on other schools, but I was liking our team grouping. I next caught the team at the last clearing across the open field. Friday I asked them to channel whatever it was that drove them at this spot. All the girls responded and put a mini surge in. I then proceeded to the coaches stand to watch the finish. I was able to catch all the finishes, all of which were gutsy and brave, not one of our girls got caught by charging finishers. Counting places is futile at this race so I gave up trying to figure out our standing. My pre race forecast had us projected as 12th. We lost some slots with what I forecasted for our 1 and 2 runners. After I saw Maeve finish as our 7th runner I headed to the finish. I stopped caring about our place and our ranking. The dye was cast and whether we were 1st or 26th didn’t matter. I wanted to see our girls and share this moment with them.
After we found all runners in a sea people, the runners, coaches, parents and supporters savored our last post race moment. We exchanged hugs, posed for pictures, and some (won’t mention names) shed tears. It was a special moment that I found myself enjoying in between hugs and pictures. After about 30 minutes of this we turned our attention to the boys race to watch Johnny Bareis, the first ever boys qualifier run. During this race, the girls results were posted; 12th place. We held serve, beating the four teams we had beaten from Sectionals, and perhaps most importantly to this group, better than 14th, the finishing spot for the 2010 team.
After the 3A race, we loaded up our bus and headed for LaGrange Park. Everything must come to an end and this special season was no exception. I couldn’t be more proud to have coached this group. From the 7 runners to the alternates: Becca Letcher, Brenna Fritzsche, Allison Kufta, Mia Longo, Jess Sullivan and managers Mary Claire McKenna and Anna Santilli, this group will always be special. I want to thank them for giving me a truly enjoyable experience this past season, especially these last three weeks. I now appreciate and respect how hard it is to get to state as a team and I know this group does too.
Congratulations to Yorkville on the Four-Peat. They are a class organization and deserve their accolades, if they go up to 3A next season, I wish them nothing but continued success.
Thank You Peoria!
Coach Wejman
11/02/14
The takeaway from last weeks meet was ‘survive and advance.’ That’s all we needed to do and that’s all we did. It wasn’t our best day and if 6 points moved against us, our team season would be over. But we got out of the deepest regional field in the state. Our sectional meet was going to be virtually the same meet with the 6 advancing teams from our regional being the only teams competing for one of the five state berths. The teams entering from other regionals would factor in the scoring, but wouldn’t have a real chance at the top five. While we were only safe advancers by 5 points, we only missed 5th by 2, 4th by 7, and 3rd by 11 points. With a better race, we had confidence we would be traveling to Peoria as a full team.
Confidence was high all week and the team seemed loose given where we were in the season. While this is a good thing, it can work against a team. On Saturday morning we were all business and displayed some great focus. After some final instructions, I said my good lucks to the team and headed out onto the course. The moments leading up to the gun are always tense, but once the shot is fired, tension gives way to chaos.
After getting out a little too fast last week, we instructed the girls to hold back a little, but not be too conservative and get boxed in. I thought we were guilty of the latter as I raced to the quarter mile spot. The race seemed slow at the beginning, we were back a little bit more than I would have liked, but that was part of our strategy. I next raced to one mile mark. My goal was to count our racers as well as the racers from Aurora Central, the team that be us by two last week. ACC’s ace, Karina Liz had the first spot, as expected, their #2 was in 6th. This was not surprising, but I was a little concerned when I saw Claire Ramsey out of the top 10. She was only in 13th, but my blueprint consisted of a top 10 finish from our #1. I next saw our pack emerge. The last couple of weeks, our ‘pack’ has been two pairs. On Saturday, they were almost a perfectly formed pack running very close together. This was an encouraging sign as I crunched the numbers. I wasn’t focusing on Wheaton Academy or Montini, but I knew we were ahead of ACC, even with their strong 1-2 punch. I next joined the squad at the halfway mark. Ramsey was still outside of the top 10, but she looked strong. What I saw next gave a wave of confidence. Emily Eddins is starting to find her rhythm as a runner and has had three great weeks of racing. She was less than 10 spots behind Ramsey and looked real strong. Not far off of her was Emily Beedie, Gianna Levato, and Colleen Cavanaugh. These three took turns driving their pace and they would be inseparable until the end. Maeve Roach and Maggie Harrington brought up the rear and could serve as valuable pushers in a close race. My last time seeing the team would be at the 2.5 mile spot, the empty the tank zone. Before the athletes emerged, I texted coach Gonzalez ‘if we hold our spots, we got it’. As the runners started to emerge Liz’s lead had gotten smaller, this could give us a valuable point if she fell to second. It proved to be a point that we didn’t need, but was an important one that I will discuss later. I counted our spots as our 5 came by, we held everything and had a raw score around 100, which is usually a safe zone to advance to the next round. I proceeded to the finish and arrived just in time to see Emily Eddins make one more pass to grab 17th and post a sub 19 minute time. This was big news, but just about 15 seconds later the best news came. Our 3,4,5 runners all came in together. I had to look up who grabbed which place, it didn’t matter, this crew of columbia blue uniforms sealed our fate as a state qualifying team. We ran the numbers one last time to confirm. But as we learned last year, nothing is official until it’s announced.
As we waited for the boys race, some other coaches came up and congratulated our team. While this felt good, we wanted to be 100 percent sure. As the awards started, the sun came out and the host school began to announce first the top ten runners. Ramsey missed this by one spot, but her scoring 9 points was good enough. Then came the team results. 10-7 weren’t going to matter to us. Our nerves would be tested at the announcement of 6th. The announcer said that there was a tie for 5th, some of our girls faces got real scared. A couple of years ago, the IHSA decided that if there was a tie for 5th, both teams would advance. Our girls did not know this and so they thought we would be sent home by the smallest of margins. Then the announcer said that the tie was between ACC and Montini. Both teams ‘survived and advanced.’ Had Liz won the race, Montini’s season would have ended. You never know when 1 point matters, even if your school is not involved. Next up was 4th place; “With 94 points, Wheaton Academy.” Beedie looked at me and I held up three fingers for her. Last year I looked at Beedie when they announced our team as 6th place, needless to say our faces were a bit happier this day at Kress Creek Farm. “With 88 points, Nazareth Academy.” Third place was in our grasp, but we needed a great race, and we got it on this day. Hugs and jubilation rained down and these girls accomplished the goal they set for themselves since last season’s disappointment. We now set our sights on Detweiller Park and the state finals. It is just one more race, but it is the highest level and it is the goal.
Couldn’t be happier for this group and what this means for their legacy as a great team.
-- Coach Wejman
10/26/14
In mid September, we were given our postseason assignment for the state series. We weren’t surprised to be in the same sectional as last year, but we were surprised to be sent to a different regional. In years past, we went a couple of miles on LaGrange Road to Sundown Meadow to compete against RB and others at the RB regional. This year we sent out to Aurora to compete in the toughest 2A regional in the IHSA. From this moment forward, we realized that we had our work cut out for us. In the RB years, getting out of regionals was a given. This year it was going to be an accomplishment.
After crunching some numbers we liked our chances, but the margin was going to be slim. We encouraged our runners to get out strong and confident on this warm day. They responded to this call, perhaps a little too much. At mile 1, we were looking in good position, but we had some tired faces. At this juncture our position was good but the race still had 2 miles to go. Our main opposition for the 6th spot was going to be Aurora Central and Rosary. They both have great 1-2 punches, but we could do some damage to their 3-4-5. We had a raw score just above 100 which would likely keep us safe, but again, still a ways to go. With about ¾ of a mile left in the race we waited for the runners to return. Aurora Central’s ace, Karina Liz was pulling away with this race and would post an important 1 point to her teams score. Then came the field; a couple of Rosary runners were in the top five, bad news, but this was expected. Aurora Central’s #2 was in 8th place, then came Claire Ramsey in 9th. In predicting our results, I knew we needed Claire in the top 10, so far so good. After a pack of Lemont, Glenbard South, Wheaton Academy and Montini runners, our runners started to come through. First came Emily Beedie, then Colleen Cavanaugh, and then Emily Eddins. I tried to balance my time encouraging the runners and frantically counting. Counting is hard to do in a crowded race like this, but it does give some good info. Gianna Levato rounded out our scoring team but also important was Maeve Roach and Maggie Harrington who helped us push Rosary’s and ACC’s #5 runner. This might just be 1 point, but sometimes that could be the difference. After counting these teams, I had scores of: Naz 117, Rosary 118, ACC 118. We needed a push and hold our spots. The crowd turned its attention to the finish area and this was going to be where positions would be jockeyed for that could tip the balance. Ramsey held her 9th position, if she can do this next Saturday, she will once again qualify for the state finals. But for her and the rest, the team is still the focus. Beedie was the next finisher in 20th. We were hoping to get 2 in the top 20, having just 1 was not ideal. Next came the tandem of Cavanaugh and Eddins in 29th and 30th. Ideally, we were wanting our 4&5 in the top 30, they were our 3&4. Then came Levato in 37th, giving us a score of 125. This should keep us safe, but numbers were tight. I caught Roach and Harrington near Rosary and ACC runners and knew that they had to grab those spots for some breathing room.
Coach Gonzalez and I watched the finish and ran the numbers. We were trying to decipher the difference of teams with similar uniforms, and other elements to be accurate. Our numbers had us in 4th or 5th, safe to advance. We told the girls that we felt good but nothing is guaranteed. We turned our attention to the boys team as they were in a fight for 6th as well. While we watch the boys race, I did some looking around and found the posted results. We grabbed 6th place by 5 points, missed 5th by 2, missed 4th by 7. We knew things would be close, but not necessarily this close. This was a huge relief to the team as we are now guaranteed another week together. But one thing is clear; we need to run better. The margin next week is going to be small as well, but we will have a chance. In tournaments, coaches preach the saying, ‘survive and advance.’ We survived and advanced, now it is time to do it again, the ultimate prize is at stake next week as a trip to the state finals will be on the line.
--Coach Wejman
10/19/14
For most of my life, Saturday mornings in the fall were monopolized by high school and college football. That is until I took the job to coach the girls cross country team. Now falling leaves and falling temperatures on a Saturday morning will take me to forest preserves and parks to watch athletes of a different variety compete. The 2014 installment of the ESCC Championship was the quintessential fall day in Chicagoland; Cool temps, gray skies, bits of rain and multiple colors of leaves were to be found at Midlothian Meadows in the south suburbs.
The frosh/soph race led things off and after mile 1 Maeve Roach was in good position, just outside the top 10,and she was trailed by Allison Kufta and Mia Longo. Not a whole lot changed in terms of positions the rest of the race, but for most of these racers it was their best effort of the season. Roach finished in 16th place to earn medalist status, Kufta threw in a great closing kick to run her best race in the ‘eye test’ and on the stopwatch. Freshman Longo gained valuable experience throughout the season and will grow in confidence being part of the postseason squad. Jessica Sullivan also ran an amazing race in her final output of the season. The squad was rounded out by Cayden Bonaccorsi and Clare Svoboda who put in gutsy efforts in what has been a rewarding but challenging season and Nicole Kozak who put in a strong race and will turn her attention to the 400 meter oval for track season.
In the main event our objective was clear; 3rd place and get three medalists. Based off past races, it was clear that Benet and Fenwick were going to be the main two teams on this day. In the early going the immediate thing to stand out was that Gianna Levato was not at her best. On most days, this would mean our team would fall short of our goal. But at mile one, Gianna was shadowed by Emily Beedie, Colleen Cavanaugh, and Emily Eddins. It was a great feeling to know that we had girls committed to picking up a down teammate. The pack had thinned out a bit, but Claire Ramsey was still in the top 10 and Emily Beedie was still in medalist territory in her last attempt for this honor. Emily Eddins was just outside of top 19, but she was looking strong. Then came Cavanaugh and Levato to round out the scoring team. We were well ahead of Marist, but Providence was still close to use for the third spot. Ramsey posted a great finish to secure her second medal in two years with 9th place. Beedie grabbed the 12th spot adding another honor to her amazing career. The shock of the day came from Eddins who was our third finisher taking 17th place and our third medalist. She was followed by Cavanaugh and Levato to round out the scoring squad. Maggie Harrington and Rebecca Letcher acted as pushers and put in strong efforts in their last conference race. Unofficially I had us in 3rd by 5 points. When the awards were announced we did in fact take the 3rd spot by 4 points. Early this summer I told the girls that this was our best team ever. This finish marks the best ever finish in the ESCC (next year Fenwick and Providence will move out of the ESCC). We still have work to do to build on our legacy, but this was a great day for this team.
The open racers are pretty much guaranteed that this will be their last race of the season and perhaps their career, always a bittersweet occasion. Brenna Fritzsche was our top racer in this event and she put in a great effort earning her top time of her career. We look to her to be a major factor next season. Many put in their career bests on this day including seniors Mia Grassano and Becky Hammond who get to end their career on a high note. The smiles on the faces of these two are what make all the effort worthwhile in my opinion.
Seventeen girls’ seasons came to an end on Saturday, but 12 will move on to the postseason. This is where good teams become great teams. No need to dwell on details, but our work is cut out for us over the next two weeks. We start our campaign at the Rosary Regional. Six teams will advance to the sectional, that is our immediate goal, one week at a time. Looking at the 7 day forecast, October 25th is looking like a cool typical fall day in Chicagoland.
-- Coach Wejman
10/12/14
The Elmwood Park meet makes for a short week, but it is a good race to get us set for the upcoming postseason meets. The meet sheet labels it as a ‘flat, fast course,’ which is a good chance to post some fast times. We get to put 9 entries in for varsity, giving us more of a chance to compete with the top squad. This meant the varsity debut for Allison Kufta who has maintained good health and will be able to finish the season with the top 12 squad. At the gun our girls got out well. We weren’t sure what the competition would be like given the timing of this meet, but after mile one, we were pretty much assured the team title. Individually, I wanted to see our team come together and have their best race. At mile one Claire Ramsey was with two other girls. Gianna Levato was about 12 seconds back and then came Emily Beedie who is having by far her best season, which is saying a lot given her successful career. Colleen Cavanaugh was next and was closely followed by Maggie Harrington, another senior who is giving an amazing effort down the stretch to get the team to Detweiller. At mile two, Ramsey was joined by a girl from Morton holding a slight lead. This would be a great test for Ramsey, having to go a whole mile in competition mode. The next three meets will likely replicate this scenario. The next four kept pushing spots and running hard, which was our objective on this Friday night. Heading into the last straightaway, Ramsey made a surge and put the race away by a couple of seconds, this is what champions do. Afterwards she simply said, “I didn’t want to lose.” Levato cruised to a 4 place finish, and not far behind her was Beedie, coming in at 6th. Cavanaugh put in a great kick to round out the top 10, Harrington was close behind at 13th place. Not bad for our scoring 5 on this day. These five were joined by Maeve Roach, Rebecca Letcher, Brenna Fritzsche, and Kufta to win the meet and gain some great momentum heading into the ESCC Championships and beyond.
In the JV race, it was a sea of Morton after mile one, but Mia Longo was lurking and has developed into a late charging racer. She was able to take many spots in the last 400 to earn a top 10 spot by finishing 7th. Our next three to come across were Josie Suter, Clare Svoboda, and Jessica Sullivan, all within three seconds of each other. Cayden Bonaccoursi was our next finisher, a strong effort from her in her first race in over a month. A strong race was also put in by Francesca Zeno who easily beat her earlier two mile time. In some ways, the highlight was Mia Grassano who set a very specific time goal and this was going to be her last chance to take it down. She got out hard in mile one and was able to put in a great finish to achieve her goal. It’s great to win races, but victories like this make it all the sweeter. Ashley O’Kane and Same Escalante also shattered their two mile personal bests. Conditions were great and our attitudes were better. Only a couple of days left in the regular season, one more race to cap off some great seasons, then our top 12 will turn their eyes to the postseason.
-- Coach Wejman
10/5/14
The cliche of Chicagoland weather is that it can change quickly and to expect the unexpected. Last Saturday we arrived at Leyden to cool temps that creeped up to the 80s by the final race. We boarded the bus this Saturday to low 40s and rain/snow mix. As Coach Gonzalez says, ‘there is no bad weather, just bad attitudes.’
The Lisle Mane Event is a tough course with tight turns and a steep hill. It is a meet that does have a good amount of competition and it is a fun atmosphere to be a part of. The day began with the frosh/soph race, which is only a 4K (appx. 2.4 miles). I couldn't be happier with the way this crew ran.
Times are an inexact judge, but it was clear that this team was ready to race. Allison Kufta was the first Roadrunner up the hill and her six teammates were close behind. The 1-7 gap at the 1 mile mark was a small amount, which is what you want. As the runners approached the finish, freshman Mia Longo put in one of her patented kicks to finish in 15th place; she has gained valuable experience this year and will be a key contributor as we look to 2015. Kufta was the next finish just a few second behind Longo. Jessica Sullivan was the next finisher and she was followed by Nicole Kozak. Then came late roster addition Amelia Nemeth who showed her strongest form of this season. Clare Svoboda and Maddie Schierl rounded out the 7 racers, who finished 5th place out of 11 teams.
The varsity race was next and our squad seemed ready. We did some mental training this week as we approach what looks to be a tough postseason. We knew top 15 3A school Lake Zurich would be the class team, but we were gunning for second place. Three of our regional rivals and 4 sectional teams were present, so we wanted to put up a great front. At the hill, the varsity squad tried to mimic their underclassmen teammates and keep a narrow 1-5 split. Time wasn’t the objective today, it was keeping up with the girl in front. Individually, Claire Ramsey and Gianna Levato were top 10 finishers, but this was a day for the team. Emily Beedie was the next finisher and she was followed by Maggie Harrington who had the best race of her career. Colleen Cavanaugh was next as she continues to bounce back from an illness last week. Maeve Roach and Rebecca Letcher rounded out the squad that finished in second place, an all-time best for the Nazareth Girls Cross Country program. We are starting to click on all cylinders and we are going to be as prepared as possible for the postseason. We will let the chips fall where they may.
The open race continued our positive trend as we saw not just great times, but great races. It was combined with boys so it is hard to keep tabs on places, but from first view it looked like Emily Eddins was the first girl racer. As the racers spread out, it was clear to spot that she was the first girl racer and won the race posting a phenomenal time that would have put her 4th amidst the varsity squad. Brenna Fritzsche followed behind finishing in 4th place. A mitten wearing Josie Suter was our next finisher and she continues to improve and grow as a racer. One of the top performances was Senior Mia Grassano who would have posted her best time had it been a three mile race. I think she has finally earned ‘white’ status.
The girls had a great time at the post race awards ceremony, which is always a good team bonding moment, extra nice when we have more to celebrate. It is homecoming week and the theme is ‘Friday Night Lights.’ While the football team might be the main event, they play on Saturday. We will actually be running under friday night lights at the Elmwood Park Invite, our last tune up before Conference and the IHSA State series.
-- Coach Wejman
9/28/14
I often refer to this point in the season as the most important stretch. It is the time that we get to ramp up our training and make the big gains needed for postseason success. Our conference hosts a midweek meet to let some conference rivals go head to head. The importance of this meet has diminished over the last couple of years so it is not a high priority for many teams. We treat it like any other race and it is nice to test out the conference championship course a couple weeks early. Don’t want to dwell on this one too much, but some strong efforts were Katie Mazur, Clare Svoboda, and Julia Dallman who posted a personal best.
Our main focus is Saturday invites and the next three invites will help to sharpen our racing as we get ready for the postseason. The first of these three is the Leyden Eagle Invite. It is a 5k course with many tight turns and not too many long straightaways. The park district had spread composted dirt all over the park two days prior to footing was a bit slower and times reflected that, but as usual we told the girls to race. In the Frosh/Soph race the team was a bit undermanned as Maeve Roach ran up on varsity and Cayden Bonaccorsi and Julia Dallman were out with injury. Allison Kufta continues to see the benefits of summer running pay off as she took some big spots during mile three. The rest of the members ran well including Jessica Sullivan who has become an example of consistency, and we have to mention Svoboda who used BOTH arms. (Long Story)
The varsity race looked like one that we had a chance at winning. We ran our top four as we will all season, they were joined by Roach, Emily Eddins, and Brenna Fritzsche. As previously stated, it was a slow course so times weren’t the best judge. The entire team got out in the first mile as instructed and continued to battle for spots. Claire Ramsey lost the lead after mile two and didn’t have a response to get that spot back, but she did reclaim second in the last 10 meters to earn a valuable 2 swap with Northside Prep, our top competition of the day. Next came Gianna Levato, and her flowing mane, who held on to 7th place. The tandem of Emily Beedie and Colleen Cavanaugh came next rounding out the top 10 with a 9th and 10th place finish respectively. I always preach the value of the number 5 runner and keeping the gap between 4 and 5 as small as possible. This past Saturday, we had our third different person occupy this post. Sophomore Maeve Roach continues to mature as a runner and with about a half mile to go, she hit another gear and took some more valuable spots. Emily Eddins was our 6th finisher holding off another Northside Prep runner in a battle of 6th place runners. Had things gone to a tie, that would have been the difference maker. We ended up not needing that because when the scores came in, we defeated Northside prep 40-49 to take the Invite title. It is always nice to win, but it is great experience to be tested and know what needs to happen in the last quarter mile of a race.
The two mile open was next and varsity runners Maggie Harrington and Rebecca Letcher took advantage of the shorter race to earn top 5 spots. Josie Suter finished in 20th place and continues to make a push for a postseason spot. Other notables included Katie Mazur who saw a big improvement from previous 2 mile races, Francesca Zeno who put in a great finish to reflect her sprinting skills in the spring track season and a gutsy finish from Sam Escalante who continues to run through pain, posting a great time.
It was a productive weekend, but its back to work and gear up for the Lisle Invite which will get us head to head exposure against Regional competitor Rosary.
-- Coach Wejman
9/21/14
9
For several reasons, the Riverside Brookfield Bulldogs has developed into our main rival and the upperhand has gone back and forth over the years, but it has been enjoyable for the coaches and the athletes. This year, the IHSA moved us out of the RB regional making this the only time this season that we will meet our rivals at Sundown Meadow.
The meet began under amazing weather conditions with the frosh/soph race. Emerging star Maeve Roach was told to attack early and keep the throttle down. She was the first going in and coming out of the woods as she cruised to a 1st place finish in the race. Going into the woods, Roach was closely followed by her 5 teammates and it was clear that we were going to have a good showing. Glenbard North kept some of their top runners down at the fr/so level and was able to secure the race championship. Roach teamed up with Mia Longo (6th place) Julia Dallman (8th place), Jessica Sullivan (11th), Nicole Kozak (12th) and Clare Svoboda (14th) took home second place easily.
The varsity was next and on the pre race sheet Oak Park River Forest (OPRF) High School was listed. I figured they would bring their jv squad and send their varsity to a higher level meet as they are a 3A powerhouse. This wasn’t the case, and it was clear that they would win the varsity race. We let our #2 Gianna Levato travel to see family which probably wouldn’t have tipped the scales either way, but this race was going to go to the Huskies. The silver lining is that this gave us a chance to race against an elite team. Our focus at this meet is to beat RB and gain some positive racing experience, OPRF gave us this. Heading into the woods, Claire Ramsey was in the lead. Her confidence looked up much from last week in Peoria. She was closely followed by Colleen Cavanaugh who was a bit unpleased with her race last week as well. The rest of the squad headed into the woods in a comfortable postion over our top rival. Ramsey was third out of the woods behind two of OPRF’s aces. Cavanaugh came out in 6th ahead of RB’s #1. As the race headed around Lake Ida, Cavanaugh held her spot and she was almost caught by teammate Emily Beedie who leaned at the wrong spot and took home 8th, just behind the Bulldogs top runner. Emily Eddins was the next finisher and started to show some of her 2012 form that made her a top 5 runner for our team. Maggie Harrington put in a strong finish to be our final scoring member. When the dust settled, we comfortably took home second place and gained some good racing experience.
In the open race, many athletes posted seasonal bests despite a slower Sundown Meadow course. Josie Suter was our top finisher, and strong efforts were put in by Sam Escalante, Amelia Nemeth, and Maddie Schierl. This race is a little bit slower, but these ladies battled hard in the forest.
Looking ahead, we now get to size up some of our conference rivals on Wednesday and then we travel to Northlake to the Leyden Invite. Last Friday we crossed the 50 days until state counter on the team website. Hard to believe that we will be done in less than 7 weeks. These next three weeks are vital to set the table for what is looking like an exciting postseason.
--Coach Wejman
The Peoria trip is a tradition that is the highlight for many girls on the team, it is a chance to bond with teammates on an overnight trip and enjoy the camaraderie that can only exist in a closely knit team. It is also a very important meet for our team to view some of our regional and sectional rivals.
Our week began with the Westmont Quad, a local rival that gives our team a chance to race under more relaxed conditions. We decided to race in a tempo format and just let our team compete with each other. This is a tricky course and times are often misleading so this gave more reason for our choice to take this strategy. It was a strong team effort from our top girls, and we are also starting to clear up some things at the 8-15 runners as they begin to sort themselves out for a postseason roster spot.
The main course though was the First to the Finish Invite. Over fifty 2A schools traveled to Peoria’s Detweiller Park. This included 8 from our sectional, and 6 from our regional. Our top girls know this course and know the stakes, so we didn’t need to do too much prodding. After a great showing at LT we were hoping for more of the same. Despite some success, believing that you belong with the top dogs can take some time. At the first mile, we weren’t looking as strong as I would have hoped. No need to dwell on specifics, but we are going to need to be mentally stronger when we head to the ‘big meets’ in October and November. However, repeating earlier sentiments, our 8-15 runners continue to push the envelope. It is going to be hard to whittle this team down to 12 and as they get better this could put some pressure on our 5,6,7 runners. Ultimately this benefits the team, so I am all for it. Some standout performances I would like to single out is Sophomore Maever Roach who is looking like she will be a number 5 runner or a valuable number 6 ‘pusher.’ Sophomore Clare Svoboda’s racing and grit have been an inspiring thing to watch in the early stages of the season. Junior Josie Suter overcame an off race on Tuesday to post a solid time on Saturday. Sophomore Amelia Nemeth made a big leap in her personal best from last weekend. Lastly, freshman Mia Santilli pushed herself to complete the 3 miles race posting a time that was dramatically above her earlier 2 mile paces.
Despite some mixed performances, as a team we finished 14th out of 51 teams, nothing wrong with that, but there is work to do. This past Saturday felt like November with cool temps, but nothing can replace the feeling of being at Detweiller in November at the state meet. Our next 4 weeks will be a little more low key in terms of competition, but the training will ramp up and we will set our sights on the postseason and returning to Detweiller in early November, perhaps it will be 75 degrees then.
-- Coach Wejman
The Elmwood Park meet is a great opener for us, but it is a fraction of the competition of the LT Lion’s Pride Meet. It is an easy drive for us but the competition sometimes has us wondering ‘do we belong here?’ In any event, this meet is a great learning experience at all levels.
The meet opened up with the JV race, a couple of years ago when there was threatening weather late in the morning, I decided to forgo the sophomore race at 11 and run our sophs in the opening race at 8am. This worked out well so we have kept it going. It gives our JV a chance to run in direct competition with each other and begin to fight for spots on the post season roster. For some this was going to be their first three mile race (because of construction the race was cut to 2.85). This included sophomore Maeve Roach who looked to build off of last weeks 1st place finish at the EP open race. She got out strong and held on to take 18th place in a BIG field; these races are full of what I call the ‘LT Army.’ She was followed by Allison Kufta and Brenna Fritzsche posting strong times for being this early. Rounding out the scoring members were Cayden Bonaccorsi and Josie Suter. This squad earned a 4th place overall finish, and will continue to improve their racing form as they push for a spot on the post season squad.
The varsity race was next and we explained to the team that if we want to take going to state seriously we have to start believing that we can hang with the best. This meet would be a display of some of the best, so the time was now to see what we were made of. This team listens very well and acts without questions or fear. At the first quarter mile we had 3 girls in the top 5, perhaps a bit over zealous but this is what we asked. As the race fanned out, we lost these spots, but only by a little. Claire Ramsey stayed with the front pack through mile one, Gianna Levato was close behind and Colleen Cavanaugh and Emily Beedie also posted great mile 1 times. As the season unfolds, a team's success often depends on the #5 spot. This year we have about 6 candidates to take this important slot. In this race Emily Eddins and Maggie Harrington alternated this position. It is irrelevant who it is, but this runner is going to have to turn themselves inside out during the course of the season. In the end, Harrington secured this spot by running a smart hard race. Rebecca Letcher rounded out the squad coming off of giving our weekly pre meet team talk. Seperation started to take hold and Ramsey dropped out of the top 10 and secured a 12th place position, but this way of running was something new, and she will no doubt get more comfortable. Levato held on for a top 25 slot by finishing 21st. Beedie and Cavanaugh finished back to back and continue to be two of the best finishers I have coached. All together this squad finished in 6th place not much behind sectional power Glenbard South and ahead of conference rival Marist. This was a great result, but there is much work to do. Next week in Peoria will be a great barometer for them as they will face 7 of our top sectional rivals in the First to the Finish Invite.
The freshmen finished our day as Julia Dallman and Mia Longo continue to prosper as runners, they posted much improved times from last weeks 2 mile run. The training wheels come off for these two as the next 4 meets will guarantee a 3 mile race, and we will see where these two fit in on the overall team picture.
--Coach Wejman
8/31/14
In this sport, and others as well I imagine, many coaches like the early season training more than the actual games. I consider myself patient, but as a coach I have a need to see the team in action and see what they do against competition. I feel like we have intense practices, but, in my opinion, it is impossible to simulate true competition at practice.
We had our season opener last Wednesday at the Elmwood Park Relay. This is a tough meet to gauge things, but it is fun because of its uniqueness. Seven girls team up with seven boys and each alternates running one mile. While they do run three miles, it is not continuous so it is a bit different from a typical race. However, they are competing against other schools and the stop watch. Our team was represented by Claire Ramsey, Gianna Levato, Emily Beedie, Colleen Cavanaugh, Maggie Harrington, Rebecca Letcher, and Emily Eddins. One thing that is clear is that we have a strong deep team. It was great to see Letcher continue to emerge as a varsity runner as well as see Harrington and Eddins return to competition after an injury plagued 2013. Ramsey, Levato, Beedie, and Cavanaugh will be a driving force for us all season. Ramsey teamed up with Johnny Bareis to take 3rd place overall. At the first exchange the team was in 10th place, but both runners ran some gutsy races to move up to 3rd, including Ramsey passing two runners in the last 200 meters. All together, the squad took 2nd behind a strong team from The Latin School.
At this event, I find myself looking forward to the open two mile race more. The relay includes runners that I know will produce for us, the open race shows me who will be breathing down their neck for a coveted varsity spot in the post season. In five of the previous six seasons, we have produced the race winner. We have also had a slew of racers in the top 10 showing the depth of our program and team. I had a feeling that this year would be much of the same with the talent that has been training through the summer. At the first point of visilbility sophomore Maeve Roach was the first girl spotted. After a breakout track season, Maeve’s strength showed, but cross country is a slightly different animal. She was followed by summer mileage leader Allison Kufta, Brenna Fritzsche, and Cayden Bonaccorsi respectively. At their heels were freshmen Julia Dallman and Mia Longo. These girls all worked and pushed to some great finishes. When they came around the second time, Roach maintained her 1st place position to be the 6th runner in 7 years for our team. Kufta maintained the second spot, Fritzsche grabbed 4th, Longo 5th, Dallman 7th and Bonaccorsi rounded out the top 10.
We now have a good idea of what we are capable of and what we need to work on. It is a long season with a lot of opportunities to improve. I will still enjoy our training sessions, but I will always have my eye on weekends when we get a chance to see the team in action.
--Coach Wejman
7/14/14
Maybe its because it is not “officially” Track or Cross Country season or it could be that Mr. Wejman is working on his tan, but he offered me the opportunity to reflect upon our summer and offer an update on where we are as well as where we hope to be as the season begins to peek around the corner.
Summer has always been my favorite season as a coach and even back when an athlete. I know you can say its the highlight of a teacher’s year because they are “off” but, much like athletes, the best are never truly “off.” The reason why I love summers so much is because the grind that begins the first day school ends until the day classes resume reveals so much about athletes, teams and programs. Its when people have to back up what they said they would do, its when the kid on the bubble amps up her routine to become a threat, its when champions are dethroned and the Cinderella story begins.
Coach Wejman and I have seen many successful programs preach that they have seen summer miles and numbers grow as their success has continued and we can say that our summer program has improved as well. This is due to great alum and the committment of great current athletes, so thank you. Six years ago when the Wejman-Gonzalez coaching extravaganza began, I did not even partake in the summer running fun because there were days of four runners. Now, numbers are stronger and we have added strength, conditioning and flexibility to our routine. Coach and I tend to get overly excited when summer nears due to the possibility of being able to work with our core runners and push limits and unfortunately have to tame down our excitement and brace ourselves for reality.
This summer, we have seen some really good things as we have ventured through. Sophomore Allison Kufta has been at running every day and committed herself to a healthy return; the first of our runners to hit her 100 mile mark and has made impressive gains from last year in strength, flexibility and focus. Junior Josie Suter has mixed in with our girls well as she embarks on her first year of Cross Country and is putting in solid mileage to prepare herself for a great debut year. Along with those two, we have a core of girls who balance other sports, work, summer running and family time to get the best out of their summer. Even when not present with us, they continue to post mileage and get their work in, proving their desire to do great things this season.
Although we are proud of where we are thus far, we have a long way to go. This is the time to get lazy. It is far easier to use weather, work, a good Netflix marathon or a trip with friends as an excuse to “take a day off.” Realize it and break through it. Last year we saw an impressive Rebecca Letcher take to summer running and find her way into our top 12. Who is next? Who will be the one to push mileage, push workouts and, most importantly, push themselves when coach and I are not around? Excellence can never be achieved yesterday, nor could it ever be achieved tomorrow. Excellence can only exist in the present and in Cross Country’s case, all it needs is a pair of shoes to get the work in.
So what will we be committed to as a team? Will we compete and prove to be a top competitor in the ESCC? Will we win a Regional or Sectional? Will we venture to State in November as a team? No matter what you currently think of your performance level, never rule out your capacity to become a champion in life and running. You have the time and ability to improve right now. Shift your beliefs, commit to yourselves and exceed expectations. A non competitor always says “One day I will” while a champion does it and says, “Today I did.” No spot is safe based on your past so what is your Four Point Plan this season to make sure those four points never again determine our fate as a team?
Crush dreams and pavement,
Coach Gonzalez
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