Varsity and JV Finish 5th Overall at Counties!!
Photo by Steve Tabinowski
This is the meet we've been training for all season, and it was so great to see you all out there running gutsy races. I saw every one of you giving 100%. When you looked at each other in the eyes at the starting line I could tell you were going to run with your hearts. For the seniors, I was so proud of the way you carried yourselves in your final race. The team will always remember how you went after it and left it all on the course. Thank you!! Also, we had a wonderful post-race party and I thank you all for coming and being such gracious guests. Bonfire seems to always equal good times. Did anyone catch that I beat Zach 6-2 in floor hockey? Varsity- We came into this race ranked #8 in the state. In our previous 2 races we tied vs Ursuline and finished 8th place at the Joe O'Neill Invitational. All along I knew our time would come. We got over our injuries and our sicknesses and we are now showcasing our toughness. I am so thrilled to finish 5th, and we closed the gap quickly on teams like Archmere and Padua. I again state that our best race will be next week, but this was an excellent team effort. Emily continues to showcase her late-season greatness. No one can argue that she is now one of the best runners in the state, and there is still more to come. 10th overall at this meet is more than great, it's brilliant!!! Izzy had another fine race. One year ago she finished 65th in 22:52. She went up 1:35 and 34 places. That's clutch!!! Beth taped up her ankle and rallied for us on Saturday like never before. After missing her in the Catholic Conference race, she came back and put herself back in our top 3. Wait until you see what she gives us next week. Danielle chose the perfect moment to have her breakout race of the season. At the Joe O'Neill Invite she finished 79th, and then 3 weeks later she crushed all the competitors she was close to and finished 41st. Go ahead and compare, no one from JO was even close to her today. Rachel, like Danielle, is peaking at the perfect moment. She put herself in the race and ran tough. Also like rachel, she went from 75th at Joe O'Neill to 47th today against the same competition. Natalie F had to run through a different kind of pain on Saturday. After seeing the trainer, she was asked to run through a foot injury. She gutted it out for the team and ran very competitive. Natalie P put it all on the line and pushed herself to the limit. She was dizzy at the finish, but she acknowledged that she did all she could do to outkick her nearest opponents. She's been a great help to our varsity all season.
Team Average 21:20 Junior Varsity- Like the varsity, we've also waited all year to prove the depth of our team. It took us a while to get here, but our JV, in the final race of the season, proved we are a team on the rise. We peaked perfectly for the last race, which is always the hope at the start of the season. Next season a lot of the young runners are going to be much more established in their training, and I encourage you to question what you should be doing in the next 9 months to come back next year and challenge to make varsity. For the seniors, thank you so much for dedicating yourselves to the team. You were excellent role models and made our team so fun. We are going to me ya!! Jill is turning the corner and getting back her fitness. She finished 12th overall in the JV race, and held her spot the entire race. She is motivated and ready to go. Lin is the team's diamond in the rough. If you go back to 3 meets ago she was running in the 30's, and now she is running 24:11. Keep training hard Lin, this is going to be fun!! Pam had another great race. She ran her last high school race with class and left it on the course. Great job!! Emma remained consistent, and she has helped our team all year. She's one to watch next year. Hanna is the feel-good story on the year. She went down at the Time Trials, but it's so great to have her back. Things will be quite different one year from now. Ellie has again shown promise for our future. Just like Lin, her last 3 meets have been great, and she helped out our JV. Paulina (Shia) trained hard in the last 3 weeks of the season and finished her senior year with guts. She was determinted to run through a level of pain we all don't know too much about, and she somehow managed to do it with a smile. Roseena also had to endure pain throughout the majority of the season, but it didn't stop her from having excellent races late in the year. Roseena is another one who will be surprising everyone next fall. Katie finished out 2009 with toughness. She ran as hard as she could, and continued to remain positive and encourage all her other teammates. I can't be more happy for Erin. 9 days ago her PR was 28:11, set in 2007. In her last 2 races she ran 27:58 and now 27:08. You could tell that Erin was quite emotional about this being her final high school race, but she is the example of how to run with your heart. Great job Erin!!! Alex is one of those runners that could use 3 or 4 more races in the season, because she is just starting to figure out this sport. She is getting in shape and has improved so much in the last 3 weeks. If we had more races in the season you would continue to chop more time. Megan has kept her smile and kept her great attitude throughout all the ups and downs of the 2009 season. She has never complained, and kept working hard all year. She wasn't able to race much this year, but when she did she tried her best. Next spring and next fall will be much different. It was a pleasure to see Maddie back with us after being bitten with that horrific sickness. When we got hit with the flu this fall, no one took it harder than Maddie. Next fall we'll sanitize you before every practice :) Sonia continued to work hard and push herself in the race. We'll evaulate the ankle pains and get you ready for the spring, but great job all year!! I am sorry to Emalee, Amanda, and Shannon for not being to run the final race of the season. We'll get you all back for track!!
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Contact Coach DiGennaro at mdigennaro@stmarkshs.net