Snow flurries greeted the Madison Memorial boys cross country team as they loaded the buses to head out for the Stoughton Invitational Saturday morning. A combination of cold, wind, and rain guaranteed that the race would be a chilly, sloppy mess but the athletes came prepared to compete against Madison LaFollette (state #1), SPASH (#2), Middleton (#8), Baraboo (#14), Sun Prairie (#18), & Verona (#20). Our focus allowed us to close out the "regular" season on a high note as we now prepare for the "championship" season. We showed today that our hard work is paying off and we are ready to close out the 2014 season over the next 2 - 4 weeks. Be Ready! Take care of yourselves, take care of your grades, and take care of business on the course.
The day started with our jv boys looking to go out and repeat their performance from two weeks ago as they took on a strong SPASH program. The boys were focused and had lofty goals for the race. We immediately got a group of JMM jerseys at the front of the pack and positioned ourselves to have a big day. As the LaFollette individual and SPASH runners made a push towards the lead our team responded perfectly and maintained their places in the top ten. As we entered the final mile it came down to competing and we had a great group step up and perform. We were led by Calder B with an excellent 2nd place finish, he was quickly followed by Jack Z (4th) & Austin W (5th) who were quickly followed by Trevor R (7th) & Josh L (8th) putting our scoring five all in the top 8 and having a gap of only 15 seconds! This was an amazing performance by our JV group that was supported by the performances of Zach H (13th), Dom G (16th), & Ben T (18th) all earning strong top 20 finishes. We scored 26 points to outdistance SPASH who scored 61 points and had this group been in the varsity race they would have been in a close battle for 10th place. In this race we saw season bests by Gabe B & Alec W and lifetime PRs by Jack T (:48), Joey C (:30), Riley H (:08), Cayden S (:12) and Andy T (:49), and Gerry V (:18). This group of runners has City & Conference left and is primed for a great finish to the season. Stay focused on your goals and bring your best every day as we ask for a little extra focus over the last two weeks.
The varsity race was the third race of the day and the course was slightly worn by the time these guys hit the course. Our group got out a little slow again today but moved really well in the 2nd & 3rd mile to finish well. As a team we took 4th behind really strong programs of LaFollette, SPASH, & Middleton and were able to beat strong programs of Baraboo & Sun Prairie. Had our guys been out a little faster in the first mile I think we could have been very close with Middleton and we know that Baraboo didn't have their best day and Sun Prairie was missing their #1 runner. These teams will be who are competing against come Sectionals and we learned a lot about them and own team today. Luke V led our varsity group to the finish with his 18th place finish. Jonas B in 22nd & Rory S in 23rd came next earning medals for their performances on the day. Our tight pack (only a :26 gap between #1 - #5) helped us place so high today and Casey GT (27th) and Joel F (39th) rounded out our scorers. Ben B came in 42nd and Ty B had a great first varsity race this season with his 54th place. I think our slow start cost us about 10 seconds which in total put us about 20 seconds away from where we wanted to finish today. Our team is running well together as a pack and if we continue to improve together over the last few weeks we will give ourselves a shot to reach our team goals this season.
The wild Wisconsin weather that makes cross country exciting has arrived and it is important that ALL athletes have clothes at school to run in ALL weather types EVERY day. Be prepared to workout no matter what the weather is as every day will be important to accomplishing our goals for the season.
Additionally, parents & athletes make sure to look at your progress report grades and ask for help in classes you are struggling in immediately. It is important to get grades up as soon as possible not only for eligibility but also for general success in your classes. Make sure you are helping to carry on a proud Spartan tradition of JMM CC in the classroom.
STOUGHTON RESULTS
Varsity
Junior Varsity (if your name is missing....e-mail Coach Casey ASAP)
UPCOMING EVENT
Saturday October 11th - Team Practice - 8:00am @ JMM
Don't forget to order your team clothing HERE (and put your name in your new clothes)
NEXT MEET
Friday October 10th
City Meet @ Lake Farm Park
Early Release - 1:45pm
BUS TIME - 2:00pm (ONE WAY BUS)
4:00pm - Boys JV
5:10pm - Boys Varsity
(2013 Results)
6:15pm - Awards (top 7 varsity)
NO BUS HOME - EVERYONE IS INVITED TO CITY CELEBRATION
All City Boys Cross Country Post Meet Celebration
The Pizza Oven @ 5417 Monona Drive
$6.00 for all the pizza, breadsticks and beverage the kids can eat
Begins immediately after the awards (~6:30pm) and goes until you are full - Awards presentation at about 7:15pm
IMPORTANT NOTE
PSAT Testing (usually Juniors) for Memorial is scheduled for Saturday Oct 18th which is the same day of our Big 8 Conference Meet
Athletes hoping to take the PSAT this year are highly encouraged to schedule a test for Wednesday Oct 15th at either LaFollette, East, or Edgewood (will require a planned absence)
Here is the contact/sign up info we have (***do this sooner rather than later!!!)
- LaFollete - call 204-3659 - sign up is first come, first served
- Edgewood - 257-1023 ext 126 - sign up for a waiting list - no seats are guaranteed
- East - Sign up at East on Oct 9th - sign up is first come, first served
Questions...Contact your JMM Counselors
IMPORTANT NOTE #2
Big 8 Conference @ Beloit (Leeson Park)- Parking Information
Only parking at Leeson Park is Handicap Parking
All other parking will occur at Central Christina Church (2460 Milwaukee Rd Beloit, WI)
Shuttles will run from church to park every 20 minutes starting at 8:00am
***Plan accordingly to park, get on shuttle, ride shuttle, & still arrive on time for races
Boys Varsity - 9:30am
Boys JV1 - 10:30am
Boys JV2 - 11:40am
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