October 30, 2010
Troy Howard Middle School in Belfast, Maine was the site of the State Championship XC races on Saturday. It was windy, cool (about 40-45 degrees), and the course was slick. We went up to Belfast on Friday night and ran the majority of the course so that Saturday the girls were prepared for an easy warm-up of the first mile and then a bit extra around the fields. All in all the girls were ready to try and at least earn the same spot they finished at regionals (3rd) and try to move up into 1st or 2nd.
The race started exceptionally fast, faster than any of the girls have gone out all season. Our first runner, Hillary, went through at 6:20 while our 7th was through under 8. The second mile was rough with puddles and mud all over the fields and the woods were treacherous, claiming one NYA victim who bounced back and continued on. At the 2nd mile it was clear that we were on track for great times, but our hopes of claiming one of the top 2 spots was unlikely since the other 2 teams had ALSO improved as much as we did. Through the 3rd mile the girls were able to pick off some additional runners and hold off a competitive Freeport team to hold on to their 3rd place spot by 9 points.
All in all it was a great day for the girls team. They set high goals coming into the State Meet and, as such, improved immensely. Hillary Detert led the team for the final time this season finishing 6th (21:09) and earning a top 10 medal. She was able to catch several runners and actually finish ahead of some runners who had bested her the previous week. Maggie Meixell finished in 13th (21:56) a massive improvement over the last time we raced at Belfast. Sarah Jordan finished in 19th (22:14) about 1:15 faster than last week which is the largest jump in time for our top 5. Morgan Scully finished in 41st (23:30) after struggling through her final mile she was still able to best last week’s time and finish with a strong sprint. Rounding out our top 5 was Hadley Gibson who finished in 60th (24:19) after flying through the first mile she fell in the mud in woods in the 2nd mile but was able to pull together a strong last 800m to cut 30 seconds off her time from last week. Anna Jaeger was 6th for the team finishing in a very respectible 25:57 almost a minute and half faster than last week. Our 7th runner was Adela McVicar (26:14) who dropped an unheard of 2 minutes off her time from the previous week!
The girls put their best foot forward on Saturday. They were supportive of each other, had their heads held high before and after the race, and gave all they had and it shows. The team goal going in was to try to move up a spot or 2 as a team, but worst case, maintain 3rd. They certainly went for it, improved as individuals, and, though we can’t control the equal improvement of the other teams around us, were able to hold on to our 3rd place spot. It was a great end to a successful season. Congratulations ladies!
