But it was
Xavier that was the most impressive on Thursday (Nov. 1) in the Division I,
Section I meet at Cesar Chavez Park in Laveen.
The Gators
had five runners finish in the top 10 (63 runners total), including the winner,
junior Mia Olsen, and runner-up, sophomore Jamie Stelnik.
Other top-10
finishers in the 5,000-meter race were sophomore Sammy Braun, seventh, senior
Karina Smith, ninth, and senior Helen Innes, 10th. And two more
Gators ran well – senior Karina Hawkins, 13th, and junior Grace
Valandra, 16th.
Olsen
finished 18th at state a year ago, Stelnik was 11th,
Innes was 19th and Hawkins was 20th.
Thursday’s
race was a challenge. Cesar Chavez Park is a lovely setting, but can be
somewhat of a danger for those trying to run in such an important event. There
are potholes seemingly every couple of feet, and one misstep could cause a
runner to tumble with an ankle injury or worse, possibly a knee.
“We were
lucky to get through it and stay healthy,’’ Olsen said. “You need to stay
healthy, stay strong at this point of the season and I think we are.’’
Stelnik was
happy to contribute to a strong effort by the team, “but we can’t get too
confident. We have to continue to work like we have during the season. You
never know what’s going to happen at state.’’
The course
at the state tournament has covered the smallish, rolling hills at the Cave
Creek municipal golf course in north Phoenix for quite some time. This year’s
event will be Nov. 10 (Saturday).
“We have run
all types of courses during the season and trained for hills, so it shouldn’t
be anything new. We are still one of the top contenders,’’ Hawkins said.
Figuring out
the hills and accounting for the weather, which could be warmer than Thursday’s
race, will be part of the equation, according to Braun.
“The race
will start at 12:30 (p.m.), so we might have to be a little more conservative
at first, but we know we are going to have to finish strong,’’ she said. “It
looks like it will be us and Chandler.’’
She added
that the team would start its final week of preparation with its usual distance
work, then taper down leading up to the meet.
According to
Xavier coach Dave Van Sickle, Chandler was missing a runner or two on Thursday.
But the Wolves did have the fourth- and fifth-place finishers, Mihajla Milovanovic
and Becca Taylor, respectively. Milovanovic was third at state a year ago,
Taylor eighth.
“I like the
way we are matched up,’’ Van Sickle said. “It looks good for us, but you still
have to go out and do it when it counts.’’
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