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WHEATON NORTH CLASSIC
FLIGHT MEET RECAP
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Photos
Results
The 24th annual Wheaton North Classic
Flight Meet on Saturday featured 9 of the Top 12 ranked
girls teams in the state. The format of this meet is
unique in that each of the seven Varsity runners race in
their own separate race. In other words, the designated
#7 runners from each school run in one race, the #6
runners in the next race, etc. With 29 teams at the
meet, each girl competes in a race field of 29 runners.
The meet is scored just like a regular meet, with the
low score winning. Another difference is that all 7
runners’ places are totaled, which makes the 6th and 7th
runners scores especially important. There are also Open
Races at the Freshman, Sophomore and Junior/Senior
levels for all runners not competing in the flights. The
Classic is a meet which rewards team depth and
consistency. The meet’s different format allows for a
little variety in our racing schedule while at the same
time giving us a chance to continue to compete against
some of the best individuals and teams in the state.
It was a great day for racing at Northside Park in
Wheaton. The 3.075 mile course (the girls subtracted
28-35 seconds to get a 3 mile equivalent, depending on
their finish time) was dry and flat and fast. It was
sunny and 55 degrees for the start of the Junior/Senior
Open Race and was sunny and in the upper 60’s by the
last Sophomore Open race. Winds were light and variable.
The course was in great shape for racing and conditions
were virtually ideal.
We won the meet championship for the first time,
finishing with a total of 20 points. Following us in the
strong field, possibly the best ever at this meet, were
Stagg (27), Wheaton North (28), Naperville North (36)
and Wheaton Warrenville South (47). Each of our seven
Varsity runners finished in the top 5 in their flights
and all turned in solid race performances. Hailey
Krzyston and Niamh McCarthy competed in their first
Varsity races ever and had outstanding first-time
performances, placing 2nd and 3rd respectively in times
of 19:23 and 19:35. These races got us off to quick
start which is especially important in a meet of this
nature. Katie Kummerer followed in Flight 5 and finished
5th in 19:20. Katie is a sophomore and was running in
her first flight meet ever as well. Emily Cleary was
next and won the 4th flight in 19:00 after moving up
strongly from 4th place at the 2 mile mark and was our
one flight winner of the day. Lauren Zumbach and Roey
Hines were next up, both running strong, competitive
races to finish 4th and 3rd respectively in 18:46 and
18:47. Elaine Kuckertz finished it off for us in Flight
1, running an aggressive race to finish 2nd in the 2nd
fastest overall time of the day in 17:51. Each of the
girls did what they needed to do to be the best they
could be on this day. They know that by continuing to do
this, good things will happen in the upcoming six weeks.
We had strong performances all day long, from the
opening Junior/Senior race, through the flights, and
finishing with the Freshman and Sophomore Open Races.
Heather Stevens and Grace Hucek finished 1-2 in the
first race in times of 19:05 and 19:33 and were followed
by Catherine Bruns, Victoria Glatz and Allie Emery.
Other especially outstanding races were turned in by
Lizzy Lusk, Kaelyn Malkoski, Corine Samaras, and Lindsay
Mackenzie. Rita Kuckertz won the Freshman race in 19:40
and was followed by Nicole Lang, Maddie Pound, Kayla
Schwarz and Briana Lynch. Natalie Laser and Juliana
Valcarenghi had big time drops on Saturday in their
races. Colleen Leahy continued her breakthrough season
by finishing 3rd in the Sophomore race and was followed
across the line by Lauren Roush, Lauren Emery, Monique
Bronowicki and Molly Fitzpatrick.
We were very proud of the girls for their performances
in this past Homecoming Week. I would like to share a
story to help illustrate what makes our 2007 team so
special. We have 71 girls on the team. All 71 were at
the meet on Homecoming Saturday, either running or
helping out in some way. Not one girl asked to leave
early. All 71 were at the awards ceremony cheering on
their teammates. All 71 rode the bus home together and
celebrated their successes. And…they had an absolutely
great time doing it. Dedication, Commitment, Caring,
Character, Integrity. These are the characteristics of
this team. Similarly, these are the foundation upon
which the greatest achievements and successes are built.
We have one meet this week, an away dual meet with
Proviso West on Thursday at 4:30. We will run all 3
levels together in one race and separate the runners for
scoring purposes after the race. Next up after that is
the Conference Championship Meet at York High School on
Saturday, October 13th, beginning at 10:00am. Directions
to both meets can be found elsewhere on this site. Come
out and support the Lady Devils! |
