Some Weather Redemption...

Friday @ District 117 Invite--Antioch:
I refreshed my weather app all week, hoping one day at a time that we would get to enjoy some decent weather. In recent years, we have had tremendous luck at Antioch, and this meet was no different. Not only did the weather hold, but the meet was well-run so that we finished before the sun set. It was a tough day for many of our field athletes due to the wind, but there were a few highlights! 

Mary has been showing consistency in high jump, earning a 4'6" mark again at this meet. Awesome work, Mary! In the long jump, Kate earned us some points, placing 4th and taking home a medal!  Nice work, senior!  Ne'Zyah also earned a medal and some team points in the shot put--proud of you, Ne'Zyah! 

On the track, we started things right with a second place finish from the 4X800. Awesome work, Audrey, Riley, Brionne, and Sofia! Medals and points for this squad! Our 4X100 nearly matched that effort, placing 3rd and earning the bees some more team points. Great work Auriel, Jade, Kennilyn, and Taylor!  Lauren (2nd) and Rachel (6th) earned us double points in the 3200, with Rachel dropping some serious time to earn a new PR of 13:07!  Awesome work, freshie!  Both of these women ran gutsy races--proud of your both!  Despite having a sore hamstring, Jade placed 3rd in the 100. Nice work, senior! In the 800, Audrey ran a solid race in order to win the event! Proud of you, Audge!  Our 4X200 matched the points of the 4X100, placing 3rd and helping our team!

The star of the night was Riley in the 400. After a nice performance in the 4X800, she looked loose and ready before the 400. I stood by the 200 in order to get her split. She got out hard, and as she approached the halfway point, I felt my eyes pop out of my head. I yelled, "26...27!" as she darted by.  I turned and sprinted across the field, hoping she would be able to hold the hot pace and finish strong. There were two other strong 400 runners in the heat, and I watched with awe as Riley pulled away from them in the final 50 meters. There was no fading...there was just Riley's signature finish! When I saw my watch, I couldn't catch my breath--I had to confirm with the FAT that she was in the 57s. Sure enough, when I looked over his shoulder, I could see that Riley had set a new school record!  The previous record, held by State finalist and medalist LaMisha Hines, was 58.1. At last year's Sectional, Riley matched LaMisha's time, but did not beat it. Today, there was no doubt:  57.63! As Riley fought to catch her breath and fight the booty-lock, she seemed almost shocked by the time. She said almost incredulously, "I pulled that one out of my butt!"  To say that I am proud of her effort is an understatement. This kind of performance is part of the reason that St. Louis University wanted her as a student-athlete: she is not afraid of challenges. That kind of time doesn't just happen; it is the result of years of hard work, learning, sometimes failing, and getting back up. Don't let Riley's chill demeanor fool you, either. She gets nervous, too, but she has also learned how to manage those nerves into great performances!  SO PROUD OF YOU, RICAT!  Way to represent ZBTHS with PRIDE!

In the 300 hurdles, Tati earned a new season PR. She has been instrumental in helping our new hurdlers with drills and other questions, so it was so satisfying to see Tati have a breakthrough today!  Proud of you!

In the 200, Kennilyn had a strong race, finishing in 4th. What impressed me most was her finish--she has really done a nice job of perfecting this part of her race!  Nice work, Ken!

We did not run our 4X400 in order to give Riley more time to recover from her record-setting performance and to give Brionne more recovery after being sick. Despite the omission of these points, we still placed 5th out of 9 teams. We definitely are showing some fatigue due to our schedule, and I recognize that. We need to stay focused on championship season and make smart choices in practice, at meets, and at home. Let's go!

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