Week Eight

Conference @ Grant--Camp Henry Horner:  Thanks to Grant, there were three races for the women today, rather than the usual two at Conference:  Varsity, Frosh/Soph and Open.  Per our Conference guidelines, the Varsity women ran first.  After a flat performance at Sterling, we agreed that our team goal was to race hard and to kick with purpose.  Kimmy was our first finisher, running 19:40 and earning All-Conference Honors with a 10th place medal.  Way to go!  Ana and Ally finished within a second of each other, both displaying strong kicks.  Mary, who was trapped by the narrow course in several spots, was our 4th woman for the day, finishing in 21:17.  With a strong second half of the race, Joseline was our 5th scorer, finishing twenty seconds behind Mary.  Maira and Alexis rounded out our seven on this challenging course.  As a team, we finished 8th, beating Mundelein (who was running without their #3), but not competing at the level I know we are capable of.  We will need to strengthen our mentality for the challenging Regional at Adler Park next week. 

The Frosh/Soph Girls ran second, and looked great doing so.  After a late-race surge, Karli finished first for our team and earned a 10th place medal!  Madi, who also ran a gutsy race today, was not far behind in 12th, and also earned a medal.  Jocelyn was our third finisher for the group; despite a nagging hip injury, she looked strong throughout and had a nice kick to finish.  Nala was our fourth runner, running an outstanding race!  Not only did she set a Lifetime PR on this challenging course (25:11), but she also showed that she is staring to understand this sport!  Way to go!  Jacqueline was our fifth woman for the day; she, too, ran a great race, only seconds away from her Lifetime PR.  Outstanding!  Monica had a great kick as our sixth runner, despite battling a nagging injury for several weeks.  Her strength and determination are to be admired.  :)  Ashley was our 7th finisher; she finally let loose on her kick and looked aggressive down the hill and into the final straight--nice work!  Kealy was only seconds behind her, running aggressively throughout her race in order to take home a Lifetime PR of 27:08--great job!  Daysha was only steps behind with a great kick; although she did not best her PR, she came very close!  Iris was our final bee in this race; although we tried to rest her hip this week, she was not able to race up to her normal standards.  Despite her injury, Iris raced with courage the whole way, and still had a great kick.  I am very proud of the Frosh/Soph Squad--they have all improved tremendously this season and will have an important role next fall for the team.  This group finished in sixth place as a team...only one point away from Stevenson.  Nice work, ladies! 

The Open Race was the final race of the day, and our runners were ready to prove themselves.  Asia ran a gutsy race, finishing in 27th and earning a medal.  She looked more like her competitive self today, which was great!  Lindsay was our second finisher, closing with a great kick.  She finished in 32, only two spots away from a medal.  She has continued to improve since Bartlett--nice work!  Halie was our third finisher for the day; not only did she look great throughout, but she also finished with a great kick.  This was the race I've been waiting to see all season from her--nice work!  Jazzman, despite an angry hip flexor, looked great today; she was aggressive throughout and kicked like a sprinter at the finish.  I know this great season will translate into an amazing track season this spring--nice work!  Tori was rounded out our scoring five with an amazing kick today.  I know she would rather have a faster time, but I am proud of how tough she proved to be all season, despite a nagging achilles/calf injury.  Way to go, senior!  Cora was only seconds behind Tori, also finishing with an amazing kick.  Great job!  Karolina and Peyton, true to their training over the last few years, finished within one second of each other today.  Despite her rude hip, Peyton had one heck of a kick, straightening out her form for that last drive to the chute.  Nice work, ladies!  Lydia and Olivia also finished within seconds of each other after helping one another throughout the challenging course.  They both had strong kicks and looked great today!  Tiara was close behind with an outstanding performance for the day.  Not only did set her Lifetime PR at this course, but she also looked like a true runner today; great job breaking your PR by over 2 minutes--what a break through!  Aurianna showed her dedication today; after arriving only minutes before the race due to a college visit, she ran with tenacity and grace.  She looked strong with her kick, and I know this season will help her with basketball and track this year.  Nice work!  Violette also looked strong today; although her time was not what she hoped for, her kick was certainly great.  :)  Josefina worked with Tiffany early in the race, then broke away to finish strong at the end.  Syra ran a strong race, too, kicking at the 400 and using the hill like a pro--nice work!  Tiffany was not far behind, looking great despite this tough course.  Sabrina set a season PR by seven seconds, despite the fact that most people struggled with this course--what a great way to end the season!  And Sabina rounded out our team today with a strong effort, especially in the last 400 meters.  Nice work!  Our Open Team took 6th place to beat Stevenson, Grant and Wauconda.  Excellent efforts from this group today--I'm proud of you all!