They say if you coach long enough, you will see it all. Well, add another story to my 15 year collection of coaching stories. The JV boys and middle school races were cancelled due to 95+ degree heat on Saturday....September 23rd! The extreme heat not only cancelled the last two races of the meet but also made conditions difficult to run fast throughout the days other races. We prepared the best we could throughout the week. The guys were ready to go and we talked about places and competing more than worrying about times. Our frosh/soph ran really tough in the first boys race of the day. We don't run our varsity kids in this race unlike some other programs and I thought our guys placed a very respectable 10th place in this event. Our varsity returned to action in a deep field looking to improve upon our last outing. I thought they raced great, getting in good position and holding on strong in the blistering heat. We thought a good outing would be between 15th - 20th...instead we came away with a 13th place finish. Our JV was excited to go out and see if we could another meet victory this year but the weather is going to make us have to wait another week. I think my favorite moment from the meet was looking over at the start line when they announced the race was cancelled and seeing the range of emotions on our athletes faces. I'll admit when first hearing the announcement I didn't know how to react but in the long run, I think meet management made the right decision. It is unfortunate to lose a race opportunity but we will just take that saved energy and put it towards our Stoughton meet.
Joey C and Cole W led our group through most of the race but it was Sam S who was feeling good the last mile finishing strong. Sam (38th) and Joey (48th) had solid finishes in the top 50 and they were closely followed by Cole W (56th) and Peter B (57th). Peter H (74th) was not too far back giving our frosh/soph group a spread of :45 seconds. If these young runners can continue to run together and improve over the coming years this will be a fun group to continue to watch as they were just ahead of Brett N (80th) and Cam K (84th). Our depth at this age group can serve us well in the future.
In the varsity race we were much improved over our start at the Smiley meet. In a meet with 41 teams competing it is easy to lose track of your strategy on a hot day but our guys were focused and prepared today. Joel F led the way with a 38th place finish as he starts to round back into form. He spent much of the run in the top 30 and looks to continue this strong performance in some upcoming smaller races. Elliot B ran really strong finishing just 5 seconds back from Joel in 42nd this will be a nice 1-2 punch down the stretch run. We will need to close our gap between our 2 - 3 runners but today was a tough day for that. Stryder C held on strong as our 3rd run in 86th place while Dylan A and Malcolm B rounded out our scoring 5 finishing in 107th and 113th. Our gap of 1:13 between our 1st and 5th is larger than we like and if we can get this back under 1:00 we'll see the success we are hoping for in the stretch run. Big 8 opponents LaFollette and Sun Prairie showed today that they will be formidable but I think we can close the gap to Janesville Craig in the coming weeks and we were able to beat Beloit and Janesville Parker. We also beat our Sectional opponents of Waunakee, DeForest, Stoughton, and Oregon. Our season goals are still in reach as we approach the last month of the season.
Make sure to take care of your bodies both physically and mentally as this is a tiring time of the season. Check your shoes and see if maybe you need a new pair to get you through the end of the season. Take time to stretch and ice daily and GET MORE SLEEP. Continue hydrate this week and eat some healthy calories. Also, take care of business in the classroom so that you remain eligible for running but also so you can get good grades moving forward for the remainder of the school year. It has been a fun year so far with many ups and downs but I'm excited for a great finish to this season.
RESULTS
Frosh/Soph Boys
Varsity Boys
JV Boys - Canceled due to heat
Middle School - Canceled due to heat
NEXT COMPETITION
Saturday September 30th
Stoughton Invitational @ Stoughton HS
Bus - 7:00am
9:00am - 1st Race
9:35am - Boys Varsity (2016 Results)
10:45am - Boys JV (2016 Results)
11:30am - Awards (Varsity - top 2 teams and 25 individuals, JV - top 1 team and 15 individuals)
NEWS & NOTES
- PSAT testing (usually juniors) will occur at Memorial on Saturday October 14th (same day as Conference)....you can take the test at an alternate date & location but you must contact your JMM Counselor ASAP to sign up
- All City Pizza Party - October 6th @ TBA... for all you can eat pizza and all can drink drinks - All-City & City Spirit Awards will be presented here....EVERYONE is encouraged to attend and you must provide your own transportation (we have NO return bus from City so that you can attend this event with your family)
Friday, September 22, 2017
Sunday, September 17, 2017
Smiley Invite - Varsity = 10th, JV = 1st
The Smiley Invite is one of my favorite days of the cross country season. I don't know exactly what it is...maybe it is seeing the sunrise, or driving into the fall colors, or competing on a course I competed on in high school, or seeing my brother's team and alma mater. Whatever it is, I always think the twelve hours of cross country is well worth it by the end of the day. We get to see some new competition and work on our race strategies. Today, our varsity struggled with its race strategy not getting out fast enough and even though we moved well in the last part of the race it was simply too little too late. Our JV today had a great race strategy and although it looked like things might slip away in the last 1/2 mile we got tough, competed, and sprinted to a 1 point victory in the JV race. Our varsity is not quite where we need it to be for JMM standards but the hard work ethic our team has this year is trending our varsity in the right direction and leading to a great JV squad. The next step is to take that leap of faith in the varsity race for some of our new varsity runners to replicate what they do daily in practice. I know we can be better than we were today and still end our season reaching our team goals.
The varsity race was a tough race for us today. When your #1 runner comes in 30th place at an invite and you still have a 1:18 gap it is going to lead to a lower team place than we are accustom to at JMM. We finished 10th today but I think we were much better than this and we hope to make some corrections moving forward so that our team can be more competitive against some of our Big 8 and sectional competition. We lost today to Big 8 foe Sun Prairie but we were able to beat sectional competition of DeForest, Waunakee, and Oregon. Today we were led by seniors Joel F and Elliot B. Next came seniors Stryder C and Malcolm B. We will need someone to step up to run with these guys as our 5th because our gap of 30 seconds in this part of the race (the big pack) will hurt us each time. Our 5th today was 1st time varsity racer junior Aidan S and he was followed by senior Mahad O who was also in his 1st varsity race. Senior Will S and junior Peter S rounded out our top 8 today. It is good to know even when we don't run our best we can beat thirteen teams but I know we can race better than this yet this season and look forward to those performances.
The JV race at Smiley has become something of a dual meet between SPASH and JMM over the last couple years. Many times coming down to a handful of points either way. This year was no different and the race didn't disappoint in drama and intrigue. Our team established themselves early in the race and showed they were ready to compete. SPASH had an individual who took control of the race but our guys responded. At the half way point it looked like we had the race sealed up but the SPASH kids made a strong push the last half mile. On the final corner as I cheered on our top 5 I told them it was going to be decided by 1 point and that they would need to help us out. Each and everyone of these guys put in a full effort the last straightaway with Lance and Gavin helping our cause the most. The final score...JMM - 38 and SPASH - 39...1 point it was and before the last turn we were not winning but at the finish line we squeaked it out for the victory. Freshman Dylan A ran a valiant racing trying to chase down the individual victory. He was unable to hold on but he led his teammates towards the front and juniors Peter V and Imaad S joined him at the finish for a 3, 4, 5 finish. Our 1 - 5 was :35 seconds but it was still good enough to get the W today. Senior Lance D kicked home for a 12th place finish and junior Gavin H passed at least 2 runners in the finishing stretch (including 1 SPASH runner) to give us 5 runners in the top 16. I was encouraged by our next pack too which continues to close the gap and will give us a very strong JV2 come the conference meet mid-October. Today that group was freshman Cole W, senior Shaurya K, and freshman Sam S. Our guys ran great today leading to many season and personal bests. We took advantage of the nice weather, great competition, and favorable course conditions...that is all you can ask for in cross country.
RESULTS
Boys D1 Varsity Combined
Boys D1 Varsity Large
Boys D1 JV Overall
NEXT MEET
Saturday September 23rd
Midwest Invite @ Blackhawk GC - Janesville
Bus - 6:45am
8:15am - Community 5k - must register HERE
9:05am - 1st HS Race
9:45am - Boys Frosh/Soph Race (top 7 frosh/soph) (2016 Results)
10:55am - Boys Varsity Race (top 7 runners) (2016 Results)
12:10pm - Boys JV Race (all other eligible runners) (2016 Results)
12:45pm - 4th - 8th Grade Mile (see info below) (2016 Results)
Awards - Frosh/Soph - 2 teams 20 individuals, Varsity - 3 teams 30 individuals, JV - 20 individuals, Middle School - 5 individuals
** 4th-8th graders who are siblings/friends of Memorial Athletes or attend Memorial feeder schools can compete in the 1mile cross country race at 12:45pm representing JMM...to be entered in the race, parents/coaches must contact Coach Casey (crhopp@hotmail.com) by Wed 9/20 before 6:00pm with athletes Name, Gender, Grade in school...(NO cost)...it is the responsibility of each family to provide transportation for their Middle School athlete(s) to and from the meet and provide their own race day attire...timing chips will need to be picked up the day of the race by 12:30pm
UPCOMING EVENT
Sept 22nd (Friday) - Team Pictures @ 3:45pm - bring uniform top & bottom
NEWS & NOTES
Clothing was delivered on Friday...if you didn't pick it up yet, get it Monday - PUT YOUR NAME IN YOUR CLOTHES
PSAT Testing - Memorial has scheduled their PSAT testing for October 14th...athletes wishing to take the PSAT should contact their counselor ASAP to sign up for an alternate location so as not to meet the Conference meet
Still have some Gatorade & snacks still available for $1 after practices
The varsity race was a tough race for us today. When your #1 runner comes in 30th place at an invite and you still have a 1:18 gap it is going to lead to a lower team place than we are accustom to at JMM. We finished 10th today but I think we were much better than this and we hope to make some corrections moving forward so that our team can be more competitive against some of our Big 8 and sectional competition. We lost today to Big 8 foe Sun Prairie but we were able to beat sectional competition of DeForest, Waunakee, and Oregon. Today we were led by seniors Joel F and Elliot B. Next came seniors Stryder C and Malcolm B. We will need someone to step up to run with these guys as our 5th because our gap of 30 seconds in this part of the race (the big pack) will hurt us each time. Our 5th today was 1st time varsity racer junior Aidan S and he was followed by senior Mahad O who was also in his 1st varsity race. Senior Will S and junior Peter S rounded out our top 8 today. It is good to know even when we don't run our best we can beat thirteen teams but I know we can race better than this yet this season and look forward to those performances.
The JV race at Smiley has become something of a dual meet between SPASH and JMM over the last couple years. Many times coming down to a handful of points either way. This year was no different and the race didn't disappoint in drama and intrigue. Our team established themselves early in the race and showed they were ready to compete. SPASH had an individual who took control of the race but our guys responded. At the half way point it looked like we had the race sealed up but the SPASH kids made a strong push the last half mile. On the final corner as I cheered on our top 5 I told them it was going to be decided by 1 point and that they would need to help us out. Each and everyone of these guys put in a full effort the last straightaway with Lance and Gavin helping our cause the most. The final score...JMM - 38 and SPASH - 39...1 point it was and before the last turn we were not winning but at the finish line we squeaked it out for the victory. Freshman Dylan A ran a valiant racing trying to chase down the individual victory. He was unable to hold on but he led his teammates towards the front and juniors Peter V and Imaad S joined him at the finish for a 3, 4, 5 finish. Our 1 - 5 was :35 seconds but it was still good enough to get the W today. Senior Lance D kicked home for a 12th place finish and junior Gavin H passed at least 2 runners in the finishing stretch (including 1 SPASH runner) to give us 5 runners in the top 16. I was encouraged by our next pack too which continues to close the gap and will give us a very strong JV2 come the conference meet mid-October. Today that group was freshman Cole W, senior Shaurya K, and freshman Sam S. Our guys ran great today leading to many season and personal bests. We took advantage of the nice weather, great competition, and favorable course conditions...that is all you can ask for in cross country.
RESULTS
Boys D1 Varsity Combined
Boys D1 Varsity Large
Boys D1 JV Overall
NEXT MEET
Saturday September 23rd
Midwest Invite @ Blackhawk GC - Janesville
Bus - 6:45am
8:15am - Community 5k - must register HERE
9:05am - 1st HS Race
9:45am - Boys Frosh/Soph Race (top 7 frosh/soph) (2016 Results)
10:55am - Boys Varsity Race (top 7 runners) (2016 Results)
12:10pm - Boys JV Race (all other eligible runners) (2016 Results)
12:45pm - 4th - 8th Grade Mile (see info below) (2016 Results)
Awards - Frosh/Soph - 2 teams 20 individuals, Varsity - 3 teams 30 individuals, JV - 20 individuals, Middle School - 5 individuals
** 4th-8th graders who are siblings/friends of Memorial Athletes or attend Memorial feeder schools can compete in the 1mile cross country race at 12:45pm representing JMM...to be entered in the race, parents/coaches must contact Coach Casey (crhopp@hotmail.com) by Wed 9/20 before 6:00pm with athletes Name, Gender, Grade in school...(NO cost)...it is the responsibility of each family to provide transportation for their Middle School athlete(s) to and from the meet and provide their own race day attire...timing chips will need to be picked up the day of the race by 12:30pm
UPCOMING EVENT
Sept 22nd (Friday) - Team Pictures @ 3:45pm - bring uniform top & bottom
NEWS & NOTES
Clothing was delivered on Friday...if you didn't pick it up yet, get it Monday - PUT YOUR NAME IN YOUR CLOTHES
PSAT Testing - Memorial has scheduled their PSAT testing for October 14th...athletes wishing to take the PSAT should contact their counselor ASAP to sign up for an alternate location so as not to meet the Conference meet
Still have some Gatorade & snacks still available for $1 after practices
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
Big 8 Grade Level Challenge - 6th Place
THANK YOU to all the parent volunteers who helped Madison Memorial host the Big 8 Grade Level Challenge Tuesday night. We had some challenges along the way but learned a lot in our trial run for hosting the Conference Meet next season. Your help with setup/clean up, parking, course marshaling, concessions, and all the little things in between helped JMM put on a great meet at Lake Farm Park.
The night started off with our freshman and sophomores competing against the rest of the conferences frosh/soph competitors. Our group was led by our two freshman Dylan A and Aidan P. they finished 14th & 15th overall in 18:37. Both counted in our team scoring with their 5th & 6th place finishes among freshman. Sam S finished 18th (19:59) in the frosh race to count as one of our top seven finishers on the day in grade level races. Had the freshman race been scored as a meet by itself our freshman would have won with 64 points just ahead of Middleton with 67 points. Cam K (20:13) and Cole W (20:37) combined to be a part of this scoring group but our entire freshman class shows strong promise and potential. It will be fun to see how this group can embrace the sport of the next 3+ years and what that might mean for JMM as a whole. The sophomore group was led by Joey C who was 39th overall (19:43) and finished 26th among the sophomores. We had a tight group behind Joey that looks to continue to improve from meet to meet. Today these sophomores included Avery G (19:51), Brett N (20:13), Peter H (20:36), Jacob T (20:47), and Peter B (20:51)
In the junior/senior race we were led by Elliot B who finished in 17:32 for 14th place. He ranked 8th among seniors. He led a group of seniors who placed 11th, 14th, & 18th to score for us in the team scoring. This included Stryder C (17:40), Malcolm B (17:45), and Will S (18:25). Additionally Mahad O (18:27) had a nice race earning his first varsity spot for our upcoming meet at Smiley. For the juniors, Peter S led the way with his 37th place finish overall and 18th place among juniors. Closely behind him also earning his first spot on varsity was Aidan S running 18:34. He was narrowly ahead of Gavin H (18:39) and Imaad S (18:45). This junior and senior group continues to improve making our varsity and jv1 teams stronger and stronger. They lead with their hard work at practice and are seeing the benefits with strong races too.
On a hot afternoon at Lake Farm Park it was hard to come by a PR but we still got some lifetime best performances out of: Adrian A (19:26), Shaurya K (19:19), Shubh S (23:42), Neil K (19:14), Andrew T (21:34), Lucas V (20:27), and Evan TJ (21:01). This is the time of year where we really need to take care of our bodies as we are working the hardest and many are tired from the start of the school year. If we can stay healthy over the next two weeks and keep up the hard work at practice we will see many more PRs next time we come back to Lake Farm Park for the City and Conference Championships. Hopefully we can continue to close the gap on our Big 8 foes and meet some of our individual and team goals.
RESULTS
All Races
NEXT MEET
Saturday September 16th
Smiley Invite @ American Legion GC - Wausau, WI
Bus - 5:30am (Arrive at 5:15am!! Set TWO Alarms!!)
8:30am - First Race
10:00am - D1 Races Begin (Girls)
11:10am - D1 Varsity Boys (top 8 runners) (2016 Results)
11:35am - D1 JV Boys (2016 Results)
12:00pm - Awards (Varsity - Top 2 teams Top 20 individual, JV Top 1 team & Top 20 individuals)
***Bring $$...we will stop to eat***
Bus will return to JMM around 4:30pm (or later)
NEWS & NOTES
Clothing is not here yet....but we are hoping soon!
I will have some leftover concessions snacks & Gatorade available at practice ($1 per item)
Team Pictures got moved to September 22nd (Fri)
The night started off with our freshman and sophomores competing against the rest of the conferences frosh/soph competitors. Our group was led by our two freshman Dylan A and Aidan P. they finished 14th & 15th overall in 18:37. Both counted in our team scoring with their 5th & 6th place finishes among freshman. Sam S finished 18th (19:59) in the frosh race to count as one of our top seven finishers on the day in grade level races. Had the freshman race been scored as a meet by itself our freshman would have won with 64 points just ahead of Middleton with 67 points. Cam K (20:13) and Cole W (20:37) combined to be a part of this scoring group but our entire freshman class shows strong promise and potential. It will be fun to see how this group can embrace the sport of the next 3+ years and what that might mean for JMM as a whole. The sophomore group was led by Joey C who was 39th overall (19:43) and finished 26th among the sophomores. We had a tight group behind Joey that looks to continue to improve from meet to meet. Today these sophomores included Avery G (19:51), Brett N (20:13), Peter H (20:36), Jacob T (20:47), and Peter B (20:51)
In the junior/senior race we were led by Elliot B who finished in 17:32 for 14th place. He ranked 8th among seniors. He led a group of seniors who placed 11th, 14th, & 18th to score for us in the team scoring. This included Stryder C (17:40), Malcolm B (17:45), and Will S (18:25). Additionally Mahad O (18:27) had a nice race earning his first varsity spot for our upcoming meet at Smiley. For the juniors, Peter S led the way with his 37th place finish overall and 18th place among juniors. Closely behind him also earning his first spot on varsity was Aidan S running 18:34. He was narrowly ahead of Gavin H (18:39) and Imaad S (18:45). This junior and senior group continues to improve making our varsity and jv1 teams stronger and stronger. They lead with their hard work at practice and are seeing the benefits with strong races too.
On a hot afternoon at Lake Farm Park it was hard to come by a PR but we still got some lifetime best performances out of: Adrian A (19:26), Shaurya K (19:19), Shubh S (23:42), Neil K (19:14), Andrew T (21:34), Lucas V (20:27), and Evan TJ (21:01). This is the time of year where we really need to take care of our bodies as we are working the hardest and many are tired from the start of the school year. If we can stay healthy over the next two weeks and keep up the hard work at practice we will see many more PRs next time we come back to Lake Farm Park for the City and Conference Championships. Hopefully we can continue to close the gap on our Big 8 foes and meet some of our individual and team goals.
RESULTS
All Races
NEXT MEET
Saturday September 16th
Smiley Invite @ American Legion GC - Wausau, WI
Bus - 5:30am (Arrive at 5:15am!! Set TWO Alarms!!)
8:30am - First Race
10:00am - D1 Races Begin (Girls)
11:10am - D1 Varsity Boys (top 8 runners) (2016 Results)
11:35am - D1 JV Boys (2016 Results)
12:00pm - Awards (Varsity - Top 2 teams Top 20 individual, JV Top 1 team & Top 20 individuals)
***Bring $$...we will stop to eat***
Bus will return to JMM around 4:30pm (or later)
NEWS & NOTES
Clothing is not here yet....but we are hoping soon!
I will have some leftover concessions snacks & Gatorade available at practice ($1 per item)
Team Pictures got moved to September 22nd (Fri)
Saturday, September 9, 2017
West Invite - Varsity = 3rd JV = 2nd
The West Invite at Lake Farm Park on Saturday was another stepping stone in the 2017 season of cross country. Madison Memorial took advantage of the beautiful weather to take a step forward on those stones. The team continues to see improvement and this comes from their positive work attitude at practice. We still have plenty of room for gains but we are definitely moving in a right direction as a team. Keep up the good work, get some sleep, and stay healthy and more big PRs will be accomplished in the coming weeks.
The varsity started off the meet with a 3rd place finish behind #1 ranked Madison West and Verona (both Big 8 foes) but 1 point ahead of Madison East (another Big 8 foe and City team). The varsity is working on their race strategy and we had 3 new faces in their first varsity races (Imaad, Peter S, and Lance). We got out a little slow in the first mile but we moved up great in the 2nd mile and many of the guys kept charging the last mile too. Elliot B (17:23) led the way with a PR and a 10th place finish. He was followed by seniors Stryder C (17:33 - 13th) and Malcolm B (17:44 - 16th) and junior Peter V (17:49 - 18th) all who set personal records. Our gap to our 5th runners was still a little bigger than we would want but the first time Varsity runners did a great job of navigating the crowds to continue to move through the field. This race experience will hopefully pay dividends for our team as we move forward. Peter S ended up our 5th runner with a PR of 18:12 in 30th place. He was followed by Imaad in 34th place with a PR of 18:22 and our varsity was rounded out by Lance D who ran 18:43 for 43rd. This group continues to improve and continues to develop. We will learn a lot about where we stand in the conference on Tuesday at the Big 8 Grade Level meet.
Our JV is not only making steps forward but more like large leaps forward. The continued improvement in this group is providing opportunities for guys to try out varsity and helps improve both our varsity and JV. Today we had two freshman help lead the charge through the race and hopefully both learned a little about themselves as racers and what they are capable of doing. We already made a big cut into West's gap ahead of us from the Verona meet and hopefully we can continue to work our group into their pack. Today we had 4 strong runners and will need more guys to step up to give us 7+ guys who can compete up front in this JV race. Freshman Dylan A led the way with his 18:03 PR for 5th place. He was joined in the top ten by junior Gavin H 6th PR 18:04, freshman Aidan P 7th PR 18:10, and junior Aidan P 8th PR18:11. This pack seperated by 8 seconds is exactly what we need...just more guys and slightly farther up into West's pack. We had a great group of guys trying to close the gap today for our 5th runner and I have know doubt they will continue to get closer each meet. Today it was freshman Sam S (19:11 PR - 23), freshman Cole W (19:13 - 24), and sophomore Brett N (19:14 PR - 26). Other PRs were run today by Ryan L, Richard T, James B, Callum F, Andrew T, Lucas V, Ryan W, Peter W, Nick B, Peter B, Joey C, Avery G, Jeffry H, Peter H, Kaine J, Jack M, Garrett M, Caleb S, Jacob T, Matthew B, Liam B, Christian J, Cam K, Charles ML, Evan TJ, and Connor W. Keep up the great work and keep improving!
Meet Results
Varsity & JV
NEXT MEET
Tuesday - September 12th
Big 8 Grade Level Challenge @ Lake Farm Park
WE HOST - Sign Up to Volunteer if you can
Early Release - 1:45pm
Bus - 2:00pm
4:00pm - First Race
4:40pm - Boys Frosh/Soph (2016 Results)
6:00pm - Boys Jr/Sr (2016 Results)
6:45pm - Awards (top team and top 5 finishers in each grade division)
UPCOMING EVENTS
Sunday 9/10 - Ironman Volunteering @ Lot 60 on UW - 12 - 4pm OR 4 - 8pm
RESCHEDULED to 9/22 (Fri) - Team Pictures @ JMM - 3:45pm (bring uniform top & bottom)
Tuesday 9/12 - WE HOST Big 8 GLC Meet @ Lake Farm Park
NEWS & NOTES
Tuesday Reports - we will begin grade checks this week on Tuesday...athletes, remember to take them to ALL your classes on Tuesdays and get a signature (pick up from Coach Casey on Monday or athletic office)
School Attendance - take care of unexcused absences...you have 1 week to clear it up or each absence = a missed meet
With school starting it is important to have a plan to stay hydrated...get a water bottle and carry it with you throughout the day
The varsity started off the meet with a 3rd place finish behind #1 ranked Madison West and Verona (both Big 8 foes) but 1 point ahead of Madison East (another Big 8 foe and City team). The varsity is working on their race strategy and we had 3 new faces in their first varsity races (Imaad, Peter S, and Lance). We got out a little slow in the first mile but we moved up great in the 2nd mile and many of the guys kept charging the last mile too. Elliot B (17:23) led the way with a PR and a 10th place finish. He was followed by seniors Stryder C (17:33 - 13th) and Malcolm B (17:44 - 16th) and junior Peter V (17:49 - 18th) all who set personal records. Our gap to our 5th runners was still a little bigger than we would want but the first time Varsity runners did a great job of navigating the crowds to continue to move through the field. This race experience will hopefully pay dividends for our team as we move forward. Peter S ended up our 5th runner with a PR of 18:12 in 30th place. He was followed by Imaad in 34th place with a PR of 18:22 and our varsity was rounded out by Lance D who ran 18:43 for 43rd. This group continues to improve and continues to develop. We will learn a lot about where we stand in the conference on Tuesday at the Big 8 Grade Level meet.
Our JV is not only making steps forward but more like large leaps forward. The continued improvement in this group is providing opportunities for guys to try out varsity and helps improve both our varsity and JV. Today we had two freshman help lead the charge through the race and hopefully both learned a little about themselves as racers and what they are capable of doing. We already made a big cut into West's gap ahead of us from the Verona meet and hopefully we can continue to work our group into their pack. Today we had 4 strong runners and will need more guys to step up to give us 7+ guys who can compete up front in this JV race. Freshman Dylan A led the way with his 18:03 PR for 5th place. He was joined in the top ten by junior Gavin H 6th PR 18:04, freshman Aidan P 7th PR 18:10, and junior Aidan P 8th PR18:11. This pack seperated by 8 seconds is exactly what we need...just more guys and slightly farther up into West's pack. We had a great group of guys trying to close the gap today for our 5th runner and I have know doubt they will continue to get closer each meet. Today it was freshman Sam S (19:11 PR - 23), freshman Cole W (19:13 - 24), and sophomore Brett N (19:14 PR - 26). Other PRs were run today by Ryan L, Richard T, James B, Callum F, Andrew T, Lucas V, Ryan W, Peter W, Nick B, Peter B, Joey C, Avery G, Jeffry H, Peter H, Kaine J, Jack M, Garrett M, Caleb S, Jacob T, Matthew B, Liam B, Christian J, Cam K, Charles ML, Evan TJ, and Connor W. Keep up the great work and keep improving!
Meet Results
Varsity & JV
NEXT MEET
Tuesday - September 12th
Big 8 Grade Level Challenge @ Lake Farm Park
WE HOST - Sign Up to Volunteer if you can
Early Release - 1:45pm
Bus - 2:00pm
4:00pm - First Race
4:40pm - Boys Frosh/Soph (2016 Results)
6:00pm - Boys Jr/Sr (2016 Results)
6:45pm - Awards (top team and top 5 finishers in each grade division)
UPCOMING EVENTS
Sunday 9/10 - Ironman Volunteering @ Lot 60 on UW - 12 - 4pm OR 4 - 8pm
RESCHEDULED to 9/22 (Fri) - Team Pictures @ JMM - 3:45pm (bring uniform top & bottom)
Tuesday 9/12 - WE HOST Big 8 GLC Meet @ Lake Farm Park
NEWS & NOTES
Tuesday Reports - we will begin grade checks this week on Tuesday...athletes, remember to take them to ALL your classes on Tuesdays and get a signature (pick up from Coach Casey on Monday or athletic office)
School Attendance - take care of unexcused absences...you have 1 week to clear it up or each absence = a missed meet
With school starting it is important to have a plan to stay hydrated...get a water bottle and carry it with you throughout the day
Saturday, September 2, 2017
Verona Invitational - Varsity = 11th & JV = 6th
The development process continued on Saturday at the Verona Invitational as the Spartans got to compare themselves to other teams. The competition was stiff on Saturday and we were given a great view of what progress our team still needs to make this season. We got to see Madison West (last seasons State Champion team, Big 8 & Sectional favorite this season) and Middleton (3rd place at state last year and this years state favorite, along with in the Big 8 & Sectional). Our team has a way to go to be competitive with these teams but the work ethic that we have seen so far this season will give us a great opportunity to close this gap. When you work hard during the week sometimes you race on tired legs over the weekend but the work we put in now is going to lead to great PRs in October. Even with our group running on a tough course and tired legs we had 39 PRs on Saturday which already shows some of that early growth in the season. Keep up the great work and keep your body healthy and this should be a fun end to the season.
Our varsity started the meet off with an 11th place finish. Our group was in good position on the first loop but faded on the second loop. At a deep quality meet like this one 10 seconds quickly becomes 20+ points. Joel F led our group with a 30th place finish in 17:19 and will continue to move our group forward into the pack. Our gap of 1:03 between our #1 - #5 needs to get closer to :30-:45 seconds for our team score to be where we hope. Elliot (44th - 17:38) and Stryder (51th - 17:54) joined Joel as sub 18:00 guys today but for our team to be competitive at a meet like this we need 5 guys sub 18:00 and we hope to have our #5 under 17:30 by the end of the season. Our top 5 was rounded out by Malcolm B (70) and Peter V (77). Aidan P ran in his first varsity race PRing with a 18:39 and Will S rounded out our varsity with his 89th place finish. This group keeps working hard and has great potential to develop into a top 4 team in the Big 8.
Our JV went out a bit slow on the first loop but closed really well on the second loop to have the opposite experience as our varsity. I think our JV guys are capable of putting a couple guys under 18:00 and if we are able to do that in combination with our :18 gap from #1 - #5 today we can be competitive with any JV team in the state including West & Middleton who will be our competition for winning a Big 8 Championship this season. Today's group were led by Imaad (18:24) and Peter S (18:29). They were followed quickly by Lance (18:35), Mahad (18:42), and Aidan S (18:42). The scoring seven was rounded out by Gavin H and Dylan A. This was good enough for 6th place at today's meet. In addition to these great races we saw lifetime PRs from Adrian A, Shaurya K, Ryan L, Shubh S, Neil K, Jacob L, Ryan W, Peter B, Joey C, Avery G, Jeffry H, Peter H, Caleb S, Soren D, Christian J, Charles ML, Silas P, Sam S, Casey W, Cole W, & Connor W. Hard work and trust in the system will continue to lead to more PRs and a fun season.
Classes begin this week....make sure you get off to a good start in your classes. Attend ALL classes, arrive on time, ask questions, be a positive contributor in the classroom, and get help if you need it. Take care of business in the classroom so you can stay eligible and take care of business on the cross country course.
RESULTS
Boys Varsity
Boys JV
NEXT MEET
Saturday September 9th
West Invitational @ Lake Farm Park
Bus Departure - 7:00am
9:00am - First Race
9:30am - Boys Varsity (2016 Results)
10:40am - Boys JV (2016 Results)
11:30am - Awards - Varsity = top 2 teams & 25 individuals, JV = top 20 individuals
UPCOMING EVENTS
9/4 (Monday) - Captains Practice @ UW Arboretum (meet at visitors center) 8:00 - 9:30am
9/10 (Sunday) - Ironman Volunteering @ Lot 60 on UW (optional) 12:00 - 4:00pm OR 4:00 - 8:00pm
9/11 (Monday) - Team Pictures @ JMM - 3:45pm (bring uniform top & bottom)
9/12 (Tuesday) - WE HOST Grade Level Challenge @ Lake Farm Park
NEWS & NOTES
School begins this week...practice will be from 3:45pm - 6:15pm
Take care of your body....SLEEP, Stretch, Ice, Eat Well, Hydrate!!!
Athletes MUST stay until the end of the meet which includes our team cool down after the last boys race!
Our varsity started the meet off with an 11th place finish. Our group was in good position on the first loop but faded on the second loop. At a deep quality meet like this one 10 seconds quickly becomes 20+ points. Joel F led our group with a 30th place finish in 17:19 and will continue to move our group forward into the pack. Our gap of 1:03 between our #1 - #5 needs to get closer to :30-:45 seconds for our team score to be where we hope. Elliot (44th - 17:38) and Stryder (51th - 17:54) joined Joel as sub 18:00 guys today but for our team to be competitive at a meet like this we need 5 guys sub 18:00 and we hope to have our #5 under 17:30 by the end of the season. Our top 5 was rounded out by Malcolm B (70) and Peter V (77). Aidan P ran in his first varsity race PRing with a 18:39 and Will S rounded out our varsity with his 89th place finish. This group keeps working hard and has great potential to develop into a top 4 team in the Big 8.
Our JV went out a bit slow on the first loop but closed really well on the second loop to have the opposite experience as our varsity. I think our JV guys are capable of putting a couple guys under 18:00 and if we are able to do that in combination with our :18 gap from #1 - #5 today we can be competitive with any JV team in the state including West & Middleton who will be our competition for winning a Big 8 Championship this season. Today's group were led by Imaad (18:24) and Peter S (18:29). They were followed quickly by Lance (18:35), Mahad (18:42), and Aidan S (18:42). The scoring seven was rounded out by Gavin H and Dylan A. This was good enough for 6th place at today's meet. In addition to these great races we saw lifetime PRs from Adrian A, Shaurya K, Ryan L, Shubh S, Neil K, Jacob L, Ryan W, Peter B, Joey C, Avery G, Jeffry H, Peter H, Caleb S, Soren D, Christian J, Charles ML, Silas P, Sam S, Casey W, Cole W, & Connor W. Hard work and trust in the system will continue to lead to more PRs and a fun season.
Classes begin this week....make sure you get off to a good start in your classes. Attend ALL classes, arrive on time, ask questions, be a positive contributor in the classroom, and get help if you need it. Take care of business in the classroom so you can stay eligible and take care of business on the cross country course.
RESULTS
Boys Varsity
Boys JV
NEXT MEET
Saturday September 9th
West Invitational @ Lake Farm Park
Bus Departure - 7:00am
9:00am - First Race
9:30am - Boys Varsity (2016 Results)
10:40am - Boys JV (2016 Results)
11:30am - Awards - Varsity = top 2 teams & 25 individuals, JV = top 20 individuals
UPCOMING EVENTS
9/4 (Monday) - Captains Practice @ UW Arboretum (meet at visitors center) 8:00 - 9:30am
9/10 (Sunday) - Ironman Volunteering @ Lot 60 on UW (optional) 12:00 - 4:00pm OR 4:00 - 8:00pm
9/11 (Monday) - Team Pictures @ JMM - 3:45pm (bring uniform top & bottom)
9/12 (Tuesday) - WE HOST Grade Level Challenge @ Lake Farm Park
NEWS & NOTES
School begins this week...practice will be from 3:45pm - 6:15pm
Take care of your body....SLEEP, Stretch, Ice, Eat Well, Hydrate!!!
Athletes MUST stay until the end of the meet which includes our team cool down after the last boys race!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
-
