The team looked much sharper and mentally prepared to compete, and the results were outstanding. The varsity pack surged forward through the second and third miles to earn a second place trophy on the power of a :29 split (2-5). Richtman started our scoring with a solid runner up effort against an elite foe, burning up his own home course. Races like these become fuel for future work.
Daniel Occhipinti surged from the mid 20’s at the mile mark to nearly net a top 10 finish (11th, 16:28). Webster was engaged the whole way and could see Daniel throughout, sprinting in 10 seconds later. Aidan Lodwig ran a :40 course PR to finish as our 4, and Heiser improved :14 from conference last fall on the same course to complete our score.
Wielgos passed up 39 scorers from other teams, and Henry Nosek pushed 37 to boost our score. Finn was next in the chute with a new course PR, slicing off :50. Orczykowski was next to crack off a PR at Sterling, racing :19 better. Petrik was the last of the group to PR for the course when he crossed just 2 seconds later at 18:13.
Drew Occhipinti looked amazing again, battling the heat and other runners to complete the day in 18:43. Klingensmith was next at the finish in 18:56, nearly in the top half of all finishers. Richies Tiv ran his first XC race of his career and nearly broke into the 18’s! He had one of the best kicks of the day, in at 19:17. Wells rallied late despite asthma troubles, but still knocked down 7:00 pace.
Kyle Konrad and CJ Girolamo ran in tandem for much of the way, with KK getting a final surge at the end for a :09 edge over his running buddy. Matt Konrad blew away his Peoria PR by more than a minute when he crossed at 22:37. Jablonski overcame a rolling of the ankle in the first 400 meters to complete the day at 22:56.
On the Frosh side, the team benefited from running a shorter version of the course at 2 miles. Ethan Neale managed another runner up finish for the team, clocking in at 11:08. Just :19 later, Dallal joined him at the chute, good for 7th with Seth Nosek :03 back for 9th. Walker was next, in 14th overall, and :06 behind Nosek. Popovich earned a medal and finished our team scoring when he crossed the line at 11:51, good for 26th overall.
Aidan Lodwig had his best run of the season when he finished at 12:03. Abruzzo was next over the mats, :18 after to push 32 other scoring runner totals up. Fountain was next in, just :02 later, followed immediately by Malone and Fitts, putting four diamond jerseys in the chute over a span of just :04.
Huber ran PR pace at 6:20, where Holder did the same at 13:45, landing in the top 2/3. Brazee finished this hot day with a new standard of awesomeness with his best mile pace yet. Woods rocked an 8:42 mile pace to end the day for our Knights.
We have not yet met our most recent milestones, but we are gaining ground. Remember that you fought three miles to get to those blue mats at the finish line. NEVER GIVE UP on a race, and never quit ahead of the mats. You fought the entire way; so never allow another runner to take a point from you which you earned the whole way through. Even when you are not a scoring runner, you are still striving to make a difference in the milestones, the team scoring, and in the process of establishing your own brand of excellence.
Stick with it. You are doing many things well right now, including focusing on the positives, rallying around one another for support, and making an impact at meets. Believe in yourselves. The hard work from Peak Week paid off. However, you are not close to the finish and must continue to make strides toward getting better as a team.
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