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2006 Hinsdale Central Girls Cross
Country in the News
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www.pioneerlocal.com/clarendonhills/sports/68043,ch-centralcctry-092106-s1.article
Devils make triumphant return to Peoria
September 21, 2006
By Bill Stone | SPORTS WRITER
Hinsdale Central senior Gina Kapusta can't
help but get upset thinking about last year's
girls cross country state meet.
Diagnosed with mononucleosis six days earlier,
Kapusta not only was unable to compete, but
also wasn't even allowed to travel to Peoria's
Detweiller Park to watch. The Red Devils still
finished a program-best fourth, but they were
just eight points shy of third and a team
trophy.
"I called everyone (after the race), and when
they told me they missed third place by eight
points, I felt so bad," Kapusta said. "I was
crying, so upset. I knew that if I had run,
the possibilities would have been endless.
"I still really feel a lot of guilt about it.
If I would have run, I think we would have
gotten that trophy."
That first trophy could be coming.
On Saturday, Kapusta ran a career-best time in
her return to Detweiller Park and helped the
Red Devils win Peoria Notre Dame's 45-team
Richard Spring Classic for the first time.
Hinsdale Central sophomore Lauren Zumbach, an
all-state 20th in 2005, continued her
impressive start by taking eighth (18 minutes,
10 seconds for 3.0 miles).
Sophomore varsity newcomer Elaine Kuckertz was
11th (18:16), and Kapusta was 20th (18:25),
followed by junior Emily Cleary (29th, 18:35)
and sophomores Roey Hines (30th, 18:39) and
Heather Stevens (45th, 19:03).
The Red Devils (93 points) are now ranked No.
1 in the Illinois Cross Country Coaches Class
AA state poll after beating No. 6 Sandburg
(158), No. 7 Lincoln-Way East (174) and No. 2
and defending state champion Naperville North
(183).
The Red Devils lost to Naperville North 66-67
for the Lake Park Invite title Sept. 9, but
Cleary dropped out of that race with one mile
left because of illness. Hines, an all-state
24th last year, made her invite debut
Saturday, while Naperville North was minus its
No. 2 runner.
"We knew that if we came in and everybody ran
a solid race there was a good chance that
(winning in Peoria) would happen," Hinsdale
Central coach Mark McCabe said. "That's what
we emphasize every week. Nobody has be
Superwoman. Just each of them has to run a
solid race and, as always, the results will
take care of themselves."
Perhaps the greatest joy Saturday was that
with 800 meters left, the Red Devils had a
dominant pack of four girls.
"We couldn't wait to finish because we knew we
were all up there," Kapusta said. "I'm usually
the fifth runner out of us seven so it was
nice to kind of get back and be the No. 3
runner. I kept reeling (other runners) in and
I just knew there shouldn't be a pecking
order." �
Hinsdale Central had four runners in the boys
varsity race -- Thomas Fielder (37th, 15:44
for 3.0 miles), David Callicutt (75th, 16:18),
Pete Richard (81st, 16:22) and Jeremy Klein
(88th, 16:25).
In their West Suburban Conference Silver
Division openers Sept. 21, the Hinsdale
Central girls beat Oak Park 20-39 and Proviso
West 20-39 at Katherine Legge Memorial Park,
and the Hinsdale Central boys won 21-38 at Oak
Park.
Fielder (16:59 for 3.0 miles), Klein (17:14),
Richard (17:19) and Callicutt (17:39) were
second through fifth, and Nick Mortimer
(18:05) was seventh. Kapusta (19:36) and
Hines, Kuckertz, Stevens, Zumbach and Cleary
(19:37) were third through eighth on an
adjusted 2.95-mile KLM course.
© Copyright 2006 Sun-Times News Group |
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