Halloween Mile
aRKPORT-cANASERAGA
Cross Country
RECENT INFORMATION
Monday, December 21st
Achievements
The last month has been a whirlwind between COVID quarantines and very little time to get anything done. Today, the All Greater Rochester list was released. Pierce was named to the first team, the second AACA athlete in program history, and since last season (Jeremiah). The best way to summarize his accomplishment is that he was ranked in the top 15 of Section V across all classes which is incredible for a sophomore.
Micah, Dom, Salim, Dakota, Braydon, Jenna, NyVeah, SyAnna, Claire and Chloe were all named to the honorable mention list.
7 boys made AGR for us last year, and 3 girls. This year we had 5 boys make it and 5 girls, bringing us to 20 honorable mentions in 2 years and 2 first team AGR members. Pierce was also named runner of the year for Steuben County, with Micah and Salim making 1st team and Dakota making 2nd team. Jenna and NyVeah were 1st team all county with Claire, Chloe and SyAnna making 2nd team.
Pierce and Micah both received state rankings as well. Pierce was named 1st team all state, putting him in the top 7 runners in Class D. Micah was named on the honorable mention list, putting him in the top 11 in NYS Class D.
It is unbelievable to think of all of the success the kids had this year when the motto was just to make it to the next meet. We couldn't be more proud of how everyone carried themselves.
The next season is indoor track which is slated to start January 4th. It seems unlikely that it will happen, especially in full force, so I am putting together a training plan that begins today and is 4 weeks long. The goal is to get people training again and ready for late May/early June - outdoor track. Coach Lieb and I have already been dissecting and discussing the scoring group of track stars we have. It is going to be an exciting season!
Achievements
The last month has been a whirlwind between COVID quarantines and very little time to get anything done. Today, the All Greater Rochester list was released. Pierce was named to the first team, the second AACA athlete in program history, and since last season (Jeremiah). The best way to summarize his accomplishment is that he was ranked in the top 15 of Section V across all classes which is incredible for a sophomore.
Micah, Dom, Salim, Dakota, Braydon, Jenna, NyVeah, SyAnna, Claire and Chloe were all named to the honorable mention list.
7 boys made AGR for us last year, and 3 girls. This year we had 5 boys make it and 5 girls, bringing us to 20 honorable mentions in 2 years and 2 first team AGR members. Pierce was also named runner of the year for Steuben County, with Micah and Salim making 1st team and Dakota making 2nd team. Jenna and NyVeah were 1st team all county with Claire, Chloe and SyAnna making 2nd team.
Pierce and Micah both received state rankings as well. Pierce was named 1st team all state, putting him in the top 7 runners in Class D. Micah was named on the honorable mention list, putting him in the top 11 in NYS Class D.
It is unbelievable to think of all of the success the kids had this year when the motto was just to make it to the next meet. We couldn't be more proud of how everyone carried themselves.
The next season is indoor track which is slated to start January 4th. It seems unlikely that it will happen, especially in full force, so I am putting together a training plan that begins today and is 4 weeks long. The goal is to get people training again and ready for late May/early June - outdoor track. Coach Lieb and I have already been dissecting and discussing the scoring group of track stars we have. It is going to be an exciting season!
Sunday, November 22nd
Sectionals @ Oakfield-Alabama
The season ended phenomenally well for both boys and girls, here are some of the highlights!
The Girls:
Last year the girls finished 9th out of 13 teams (the 31st percentile), and this year they finished 5th out of 14 teams (the 65th percentile) which is a MASSIVE improvement! They were led by Jenna finishing in 18th, then a pack of NV, Claire, SyAnna and Chloe in 40th, 41st, 44th and 45th all in new PRs. Two years ago we were very excited to have 2 girls in the top 40. Last year we were thrilled to have 3 girls in the top 41. This year we had 5 girls finish in the top 45! What a difference some summer training and a year makes! Mackenzie and Yasmin rounded out the squad with Mackenzie in 60th and Yasmin running a new PR of 26:59. What if we had run in the girls class C race? The girls actually would have finished 5th in the class C race ahead of Hornell. What if the girls C/D results were merged? The girls would have finished 9th out of 27 teams. Last year in the merged C and D results, the girls were 19th out of 27 C/D teams. Hopefully the girls learned some lessons along the way and can continue to focus on putting in some training over the winter and during the summer to continue to progress next year!
The boys had a very dramatic finish as Dakota willed himself through the last 50 feet to finish as our 5th runner and secure the win by 10 points. Our top 4 boys ran outstanding races. Pierce, Micah, Dominick and Salim took 2nd, 4th, 6th and 7th with new PRs for Pierce and Salim. It was such an excellent performances, multiple coaches congratulated us on winning before the first mile was even over (although I told them a lot could change in the last 2 miles!). I was... kind of right? The boys had 37 points at mile 1 to Oakfield's 50, 38 points at mile 2 to Oakfield's 56 and the final score was 38-48, meaning they closed well in the last mile. Braydon and Cameron rounded out the scoring 7, with Braydon finishing in an excellent 22nd place (not bad for a sophomore at his first sectional meet!). Cameron came in at 39th and put the cap on a very trying season.
What if the boys D and DD were merged? The boys would have won over Honeoye by only 3 points! That would have been a very electric finish to watch as they packed it in very nicely in their race. What if the boys raced in class C? They would have dominated by 29 points over the class C champs, Livonia. What if C and D were merged? They would have lost by 3 points to Honeoye - their 52 second 1-5 spread being a bit too tight for us to knock off in a larger race.
Looking forward, in the next few weeks we want everyone to rest and recover from such a draining season. Indoor track is slated to begin on January 4th. We are brainstorming what to do between now and then, and we will have an answer by our end of season practice on Monday, November 30th. As all of you have now learned, the way to continue improving in this sport is just staying consistent. If indoor does not happen, we will explore other options on how to help people stay fit until outdoor begins (potentially in March).
Looking towards XC 2021. I just finished a book called Gridiron Genius. While I might not be a fan of his team, coach Bill Belichick of the Patriots has some words of wisdom. The two takeaways are:
1. Recruiting is like shaving, if you don't do it every day you look like a bum.
2. The next season begins the day after the last season ends.
The girls are set up to have an excellent team for at least the next two years as only SyAnna (our 4th finisher) is graduating, and Claire is the only junior on the team. Adding in Daria and potentially Grace to the varsity team, next year could be a much better team than this year. The girls were 33 points from Red Creek which will graduate their 1st, 4th and 5th runners. They were 34 points from Oakfield which loses their 1st and 5th runners. They were 56 points from Geneseo which loses their 2nd runner, and 97 points from Honeoye which only loses their 1st runner. Bridging the gap to Honeoye would be very tough, but making up ground on the runner up, Geneseo, would be possible. Adding some new recruits could make an instant difference.
The boys also have their work cut out for them. Oakfield only graduates Zack, and return the other 6 boys from their 2nd place team. We have been told that their second runner, Connor, who ran an exceptional race for a freshman, is a football player. If I was him - I would stick with XC! He would be the 5th fastest returner between D and DD merged. Time will tell. As for Honeoye, they lose their 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th runners. Both teams have depth, meaning they will have an easier time reloading. For us, we will miss the leadership of Micah, Dom and Dakota. Pierce, Salim, Braydon and Cameron are they 1st, 6th, 22nd and 37th returners in the merge. However, Cameron and Dylan's peak performances from last fall would put Cam at 6th and Dylan at 11th on the returners list. If those two get back to that level of fitness, or better yet improve, then we would have a strong chance of contending to win. Of course, we always have a dark horse in the wings, and this year it looks to be Ibrahim. He posted a 20:20 track 5k on Friday evening in trainers which would have been good for about 20:40 or so at sectionals. That time would land him in the top 45, but often times the improvement from one year to the next in middle school can be drastic.
The last thing to leave with is that we have been informed of the county all stars team. We will announce them as soon as it is deemed appropriate. Excellent job everyone, enjoy your time off and Thanksgiving!
Sectionals @ Oakfield-Alabama
The season ended phenomenally well for both boys and girls, here are some of the highlights!
The Girls:
Last year the girls finished 9th out of 13 teams (the 31st percentile), and this year they finished 5th out of 14 teams (the 65th percentile) which is a MASSIVE improvement! They were led by Jenna finishing in 18th, then a pack of NV, Claire, SyAnna and Chloe in 40th, 41st, 44th and 45th all in new PRs. Two years ago we were very excited to have 2 girls in the top 40. Last year we were thrilled to have 3 girls in the top 41. This year we had 5 girls finish in the top 45! What a difference some summer training and a year makes! Mackenzie and Yasmin rounded out the squad with Mackenzie in 60th and Yasmin running a new PR of 26:59. What if we had run in the girls class C race? The girls actually would have finished 5th in the class C race ahead of Hornell. What if the girls C/D results were merged? The girls would have finished 9th out of 27 teams. Last year in the merged C and D results, the girls were 19th out of 27 C/D teams. Hopefully the girls learned some lessons along the way and can continue to focus on putting in some training over the winter and during the summer to continue to progress next year!
The boys had a very dramatic finish as Dakota willed himself through the last 50 feet to finish as our 5th runner and secure the win by 10 points. Our top 4 boys ran outstanding races. Pierce, Micah, Dominick and Salim took 2nd, 4th, 6th and 7th with new PRs for Pierce and Salim. It was such an excellent performances, multiple coaches congratulated us on winning before the first mile was even over (although I told them a lot could change in the last 2 miles!). I was... kind of right? The boys had 37 points at mile 1 to Oakfield's 50, 38 points at mile 2 to Oakfield's 56 and the final score was 38-48, meaning they closed well in the last mile. Braydon and Cameron rounded out the scoring 7, with Braydon finishing in an excellent 22nd place (not bad for a sophomore at his first sectional meet!). Cameron came in at 39th and put the cap on a very trying season.
What if the boys D and DD were merged? The boys would have won over Honeoye by only 3 points! That would have been a very electric finish to watch as they packed it in very nicely in their race. What if the boys raced in class C? They would have dominated by 29 points over the class C champs, Livonia. What if C and D were merged? They would have lost by 3 points to Honeoye - their 52 second 1-5 spread being a bit too tight for us to knock off in a larger race.
Looking forward, in the next few weeks we want everyone to rest and recover from such a draining season. Indoor track is slated to begin on January 4th. We are brainstorming what to do between now and then, and we will have an answer by our end of season practice on Monday, November 30th. As all of you have now learned, the way to continue improving in this sport is just staying consistent. If indoor does not happen, we will explore other options on how to help people stay fit until outdoor begins (potentially in March).
Looking towards XC 2021. I just finished a book called Gridiron Genius. While I might not be a fan of his team, coach Bill Belichick of the Patriots has some words of wisdom. The two takeaways are:
1. Recruiting is like shaving, if you don't do it every day you look like a bum.
2. The next season begins the day after the last season ends.
The girls are set up to have an excellent team for at least the next two years as only SyAnna (our 4th finisher) is graduating, and Claire is the only junior on the team. Adding in Daria and potentially Grace to the varsity team, next year could be a much better team than this year. The girls were 33 points from Red Creek which will graduate their 1st, 4th and 5th runners. They were 34 points from Oakfield which loses their 1st and 5th runners. They were 56 points from Geneseo which loses their 2nd runner, and 97 points from Honeoye which only loses their 1st runner. Bridging the gap to Honeoye would be very tough, but making up ground on the runner up, Geneseo, would be possible. Adding some new recruits could make an instant difference.
The boys also have their work cut out for them. Oakfield only graduates Zack, and return the other 6 boys from their 2nd place team. We have been told that their second runner, Connor, who ran an exceptional race for a freshman, is a football player. If I was him - I would stick with XC! He would be the 5th fastest returner between D and DD merged. Time will tell. As for Honeoye, they lose their 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th runners. Both teams have depth, meaning they will have an easier time reloading. For us, we will miss the leadership of Micah, Dom and Dakota. Pierce, Salim, Braydon and Cameron are they 1st, 6th, 22nd and 37th returners in the merge. However, Cameron and Dylan's peak performances from last fall would put Cam at 6th and Dylan at 11th on the returners list. If those two get back to that level of fitness, or better yet improve, then we would have a strong chance of contending to win. Of course, we always have a dark horse in the wings, and this year it looks to be Ibrahim. He posted a 20:20 track 5k on Friday evening in trainers which would have been good for about 20:40 or so at sectionals. That time would land him in the top 45, but often times the improvement from one year to the next in middle school can be drastic.
The last thing to leave with is that we have been informed of the county all stars team. We will announce them as soon as it is deemed appropriate. Excellent job everyone, enjoy your time off and Thanksgiving!
Sunday, November 8th
Mod Counties + Last League Meet vs. Hammondsport
The regular season concluded yesterday with our final home race. Before the recap on that, modified counties! Thursday night turned out to be beautiful and our modified athletes ran phenomenally well. Ibra took the crown, the 3rd AC boy to win modified counties in the last 4 years, to end his season undefeated. Cooper had the race of the night, finishing 2 minutes faster than he ran last Friday and taking 7th overall! Drew fought through injury to come home with a 40 second personal best for the course, and Ethan bounced back from some injuries to cruise to a top 10 finish. Excellent job to all of the boys!
Grace came in to the race undefeated and raced like a champion. She led for more than half of the race, and when a strong Addison squad began to pass her, she surged to hold them off over and over again. The Addison girls proved to be a tougher battle than she thought as Grace finished over 50 seconds faster than last Friday in 4th place. It was a gutsy race, and more often than not the races you don't win are the races you learn the most from. Lily came home with an 11th place finish and matched her time from last Friday, congratulations!
On Saturday, the team was being live streamed so the pressure was on. The girls ran uncontested as Hammondsport did not have any varsity girl runners. Chloe ran a life time best in the 5k and moved up to 2nd all time on the AC home course list. Claire took 3rd in a strong 25:04, while NyVeah and SyAnna both moved up to 4th and 5th all time on the course record board. Mackenzie finished in a new PR for the course by over 80 seconds and took the 6th best time on the course, just 6 seconds off of Libby's best performance. Yasmin had a HUGE break through, finishing in 27:30 and moving into 9th all time for the course. Jenna Barrett rounded out the top 7 in a nice 34:46.
On the boys side, Micah and Pierce executed their race plan perfectly. They had stiff competition in Liam from Hammondsport (the 3rd returner in class D2). The last time they saw Liam, he beat them both decisively at sectionals. The script was flipped this time as they broke the race wide open by the mile mark. They tore on ahead to run the 2nd and 3rd best times in course history. Salim and Dominick had their best runs of the season as Salim notched the 7th fastest time in course history and a personal best on the course by over 30 seconds. Dom slipped under 19 minutes, followed by Dakota in 19:54, Cam in 20:24 and Bibo in 20:24. Mike was the next boy to finish in a personal best of 23:57. Evan, Ethan and Hench wrapped up their XC careers with solid performances, and more than anything we will really miss them all next year!!! Patrick and Johnny had massive personal bests, 25:52 and 26:34 - both PRs by over a minute (Patrick by over 3 minutes!!!!). Stu rounded out a monster season in 28:10.
For the mods - Ibra broke Salim's course record by 4 seconds, running 12:09. Looking at Salim's trajectory from last year to this year, that bodes very well for the future of Ibra's XC career. Drew, Cooper and Ethan all ran huge personal bests and more than anything, they did not have to stop and walk at all during the race! This was a long time coming, and they really turned themselves into runners over the last 6 weeks. Grace ran the 2nd fastest time in course history behind Emma and took the win, while Lily dropped 2 minutes from her previous race at our home course to round out our girls team.
It has been an awesome season, and to those of you finishing we appreciate all of the efforts you put in during this craziness. It has not been easy, but it has been rewarding. We will continue to push out updates over the next two weeks - sectionals are November 21st. Look forward to a sectional preview coming up in the next few days.
Mod Counties + Last League Meet vs. Hammondsport
The regular season concluded yesterday with our final home race. Before the recap on that, modified counties! Thursday night turned out to be beautiful and our modified athletes ran phenomenally well. Ibra took the crown, the 3rd AC boy to win modified counties in the last 4 years, to end his season undefeated. Cooper had the race of the night, finishing 2 minutes faster than he ran last Friday and taking 7th overall! Drew fought through injury to come home with a 40 second personal best for the course, and Ethan bounced back from some injuries to cruise to a top 10 finish. Excellent job to all of the boys!
Grace came in to the race undefeated and raced like a champion. She led for more than half of the race, and when a strong Addison squad began to pass her, she surged to hold them off over and over again. The Addison girls proved to be a tougher battle than she thought as Grace finished over 50 seconds faster than last Friday in 4th place. It was a gutsy race, and more often than not the races you don't win are the races you learn the most from. Lily came home with an 11th place finish and matched her time from last Friday, congratulations!
On Saturday, the team was being live streamed so the pressure was on. The girls ran uncontested as Hammondsport did not have any varsity girl runners. Chloe ran a life time best in the 5k and moved up to 2nd all time on the AC home course list. Claire took 3rd in a strong 25:04, while NyVeah and SyAnna both moved up to 4th and 5th all time on the course record board. Mackenzie finished in a new PR for the course by over 80 seconds and took the 6th best time on the course, just 6 seconds off of Libby's best performance. Yasmin had a HUGE break through, finishing in 27:30 and moving into 9th all time for the course. Jenna Barrett rounded out the top 7 in a nice 34:46.
On the boys side, Micah and Pierce executed their race plan perfectly. They had stiff competition in Liam from Hammondsport (the 3rd returner in class D2). The last time they saw Liam, he beat them both decisively at sectionals. The script was flipped this time as they broke the race wide open by the mile mark. They tore on ahead to run the 2nd and 3rd best times in course history. Salim and Dominick had their best runs of the season as Salim notched the 7th fastest time in course history and a personal best on the course by over 30 seconds. Dom slipped under 19 minutes, followed by Dakota in 19:54, Cam in 20:24 and Bibo in 20:24. Mike was the next boy to finish in a personal best of 23:57. Evan, Ethan and Hench wrapped up their XC careers with solid performances, and more than anything we will really miss them all next year!!! Patrick and Johnny had massive personal bests, 25:52 and 26:34 - both PRs by over a minute (Patrick by over 3 minutes!!!!). Stu rounded out a monster season in 28:10.
For the mods - Ibra broke Salim's course record by 4 seconds, running 12:09. Looking at Salim's trajectory from last year to this year, that bodes very well for the future of Ibra's XC career. Drew, Cooper and Ethan all ran huge personal bests and more than anything, they did not have to stop and walk at all during the race! This was a long time coming, and they really turned themselves into runners over the last 6 weeks. Grace ran the 2nd fastest time in course history behind Emma and took the win, while Lily dropped 2 minutes from her previous race at our home course to round out our girls team.
It has been an awesome season, and to those of you finishing we appreciate all of the efforts you put in during this craziness. It has not been easy, but it has been rewarding. We will continue to push out updates over the next two weeks - sectionals are November 21st. Look forward to a sectional preview coming up in the next few days.
Saturday, October 31st
Campbell and JT
On Tuesday, both teams won decisively against Campbell. We were missing our Alfred Almond contingent, as well as Cam, Chloe and Cannonball. The boys were led by a new course record from Pierce (17:15) over Jeremiah's 17:22 from last year. Salim came in second with 18:52 (5th in course history), then Dom, Bibo (8th in course history) and Dakota (9th in course history). Andrew and Jacob finished 6th and 7th for us, followed by big PRs from Stu, Johnny and Patrick. On the girls side, Jenna cruised to the win, followed by strong runs from NV, SyAnna, Mackenzie, and a PR from Daria, Yasmin, Emma and Jenna B.
Ibra smashed the course record in 9:34 followed by PRs from Drew and Cooper. Grace was 8 seconds off the course record, followed by a great run from Lily.
The Friday night race at JT was a cold, overcast run. The boys packed it in and helped Jacob along to a personal best of 22:31 (50 second PR). Jacob took the crown, which far and away was the highlight of the season so far. The girls had Chloe back and action, and Jenna, Chloe and NV cruised to a 1-2-3 finish, followed by Mackenzie, Yasmin, Emma and Jenna B.
Ibra challenged the course record and finished in 11:00, 3 seconds off Salim's time from last year. Drew and Cooper both ran nice races in the cold, and Grace hit the 3rd time all time on the course. Lily ran an excellent race, averaging almost 1 minute faster per mile than previous races. Great work to everyone!
Campbell and JT
On Tuesday, both teams won decisively against Campbell. We were missing our Alfred Almond contingent, as well as Cam, Chloe and Cannonball. The boys were led by a new course record from Pierce (17:15) over Jeremiah's 17:22 from last year. Salim came in second with 18:52 (5th in course history), then Dom, Bibo (8th in course history) and Dakota (9th in course history). Andrew and Jacob finished 6th and 7th for us, followed by big PRs from Stu, Johnny and Patrick. On the girls side, Jenna cruised to the win, followed by strong runs from NV, SyAnna, Mackenzie, and a PR from Daria, Yasmin, Emma and Jenna B.
Ibra smashed the course record in 9:34 followed by PRs from Drew and Cooper. Grace was 8 seconds off the course record, followed by a great run from Lily.
The Friday night race at JT was a cold, overcast run. The boys packed it in and helped Jacob along to a personal best of 22:31 (50 second PR). Jacob took the crown, which far and away was the highlight of the season so far. The girls had Chloe back and action, and Jenna, Chloe and NV cruised to a 1-2-3 finish, followed by Mackenzie, Yasmin, Emma and Jenna B.
Ibra challenged the course record and finished in 11:00, 3 seconds off Salim's time from last year. Drew and Cooper both ran nice races in the cold, and Grace hit the 3rd time all time on the course. Lily ran an excellent race, averaging almost 1 minute faster per mile than previous races. Great work to everyone!
Saturday, October 24th
Cuba and Gen-Valley
Sorry for the delay! As always, the crush of work and cross country puts some things on the back burner, and for the last week it has been the blog. The teams continued their undefeated streak, albeit we have only raced a handful of complete teams. The Cuba course was long, according to almost everyone's watches but it was a solid day of racing.
The girls were led by Jenna, Claire, NyVeah, SyAnna, Mackenzie, Daria and Yasmin. The boys were led by Micah, Pierce, Salim, Bibo, Cameron, Dakota and Andrew. Cameron and Andrew had their debut races and it was awesome to have them right back in the mix of things. Times aside, there was some great racing on the day!
At home, the boys ran a workout on the course and managed to beat GV. Micah continued his undefeated streak followed by Pierce, Bibo, Dakota, Cameron, Andrew and Monster Mike. Monster Mike made his first appearance in the top 7 which was a nice surprise on the day! Mike and Jacob both ran personal bests as did Johnny and Patrick.
The girls had a very nice outing led by Jenna, Claire, SyAnna, NyVeah, Daria, Mackenzie and Yasmin. Daria ran a personal best for the 5k and made up some ground on SyAnna and NyVeah.
On the mod side, Ibra and Grace both continued their undefeated streaks, winning both Cuba and at home against GV. Ibra ran a blazing fast 13:03 2 mile, followed by a personal best from Drew and Cooper. Grace ran a big personal best as well in 17:33, followed by Julianna and Lily.
The teams are back in action this Tuesday against Campbell. There are only 3 meets left in the regular season which seems to be flying by! A side note - I am updating the record boards and results page, so they may not be functional for a few days.
Cuba and Gen-Valley
Sorry for the delay! As always, the crush of work and cross country puts some things on the back burner, and for the last week it has been the blog. The teams continued their undefeated streak, albeit we have only raced a handful of complete teams. The Cuba course was long, according to almost everyone's watches but it was a solid day of racing.
The girls were led by Jenna, Claire, NyVeah, SyAnna, Mackenzie, Daria and Yasmin. The boys were led by Micah, Pierce, Salim, Bibo, Cameron, Dakota and Andrew. Cameron and Andrew had their debut races and it was awesome to have them right back in the mix of things. Times aside, there was some great racing on the day!
At home, the boys ran a workout on the course and managed to beat GV. Micah continued his undefeated streak followed by Pierce, Bibo, Dakota, Cameron, Andrew and Monster Mike. Monster Mike made his first appearance in the top 7 which was a nice surprise on the day! Mike and Jacob both ran personal bests as did Johnny and Patrick.
The girls had a very nice outing led by Jenna, Claire, SyAnna, NyVeah, Daria, Mackenzie and Yasmin. Daria ran a personal best for the 5k and made up some ground on SyAnna and NyVeah.
On the mod side, Ibra and Grace both continued their undefeated streaks, winning both Cuba and at home against GV. Ibra ran a blazing fast 13:03 2 mile, followed by a personal best from Drew and Cooper. Grace ran a big personal best as well in 17:33, followed by Julianna and Lily.
The teams are back in action this Tuesday against Campbell. There are only 3 meets left in the regular season which seems to be flying by! A side note - I am updating the record boards and results page, so they may not be functional for a few days.
Saturday, October 17th
Duel vs Avoca
It has been a busy week on the AACA team! Sorry for the delayed post. Splits and results should be posted under the results page. The team had a great day against Avoca-Prattsburgh last Tuesday with the boys winning due to an incomplete team and the girls winning in dominant fashion. The boys were led by Micah, Pierce, Salim, Dom, Dakota, Braydon and Jacob! Salim posted a top 10 time for the course and Jacob sliced another minute off of his time. Ethan M had a fantastic run to hit 32:37 which is his PR for the course by a huge margin!
On the girls side, Jenna took the W in a nice time to show she is a force to reckon with in the section. Claire and Chloe were the 2, 3 punch both running the 2nd and 3rd fastest times for an AACA runner at home. NyVeah and SyAnna had great performances to close out the scoring 5 while Mackenzie and Daria rounded out the top 7. The team is looking stronger each race!
On the mod side, Grace and Ibra took the individual crowns and led Cooper, Drew, Lily and Julianna to a great effort. Nice work!
More exciting than the race, in my opinion, was Friday evening's workout. While 400m repeats are not an incredibly accurate measure of what one may be able to run in a 5k, it does give us some idea of where some members of the team will be by the seasons end.
On the boys side, Micah, Pierce, Salim, Braydon, Dakota and Cameron ran between 17:30 and 19:08. That is much closer to the margin the boys had last year to take the sectional title. Monster Mike had a big day with Jacob hot on his heels. Johnny, Patrick, Stu, Evan and Ethan all averaged 2-3 minutes faster than they have been so far in racing, showing that the best is yet to come!
On the girls side, Jenna ran a smooth 20:26 equivalent with Mackenzie, Claire, Chloe, NyVeah and Daria all running between 22:21 and 23:27. It is just one workout, so we can't hang our hats on it, but it does show some promise that the girls team is the strongest we have seen in my time at Arkport by quite a bit. Yasmin had an excellent day, and Emma is beginning to bounce back from injury to show some of the fitness she had from last fall.
The team is back in action this Tuesday against Cuba Rushford on their home course. Pictures are on Tuesday as well, before the meet, and the bus will leave Arkport around 3:15pm.
Duel vs Avoca
It has been a busy week on the AACA team! Sorry for the delayed post. Splits and results should be posted under the results page. The team had a great day against Avoca-Prattsburgh last Tuesday with the boys winning due to an incomplete team and the girls winning in dominant fashion. The boys were led by Micah, Pierce, Salim, Dom, Dakota, Braydon and Jacob! Salim posted a top 10 time for the course and Jacob sliced another minute off of his time. Ethan M had a fantastic run to hit 32:37 which is his PR for the course by a huge margin!
On the girls side, Jenna took the W in a nice time to show she is a force to reckon with in the section. Claire and Chloe were the 2, 3 punch both running the 2nd and 3rd fastest times for an AACA runner at home. NyVeah and SyAnna had great performances to close out the scoring 5 while Mackenzie and Daria rounded out the top 7. The team is looking stronger each race!
On the mod side, Grace and Ibra took the individual crowns and led Cooper, Drew, Lily and Julianna to a great effort. Nice work!
More exciting than the race, in my opinion, was Friday evening's workout. While 400m repeats are not an incredibly accurate measure of what one may be able to run in a 5k, it does give us some idea of where some members of the team will be by the seasons end.
On the boys side, Micah, Pierce, Salim, Braydon, Dakota and Cameron ran between 17:30 and 19:08. That is much closer to the margin the boys had last year to take the sectional title. Monster Mike had a big day with Jacob hot on his heels. Johnny, Patrick, Stu, Evan and Ethan all averaged 2-3 minutes faster than they have been so far in racing, showing that the best is yet to come!
On the girls side, Jenna ran a smooth 20:26 equivalent with Mackenzie, Claire, Chloe, NyVeah and Daria all running between 22:21 and 23:27. It is just one workout, so we can't hang our hats on it, but it does show some promise that the girls team is the strongest we have seen in my time at Arkport by quite a bit. Yasmin had an excellent day, and Emma is beginning to bounce back from injury to show some of the fitness she had from last fall.
The team is back in action this Tuesday against Cuba Rushford on their home course. Pictures are on Tuesday as well, before the meet, and the bus will leave Arkport around 3:15pm.
Friday, October 9th
Duel @ Hornell
Finally, the official season began on Friday with a race in Hornell. The race started in waves which gave it a very different feel. The boys swept the meet, finishing 1st through 6th, just 2 seconds away from taking 1st through 7th. Micah and Pierce ran their way into 2nd and 3rd all time for the course (albeit the course is different this year) while Salim and Braydon moved into 7th and 10th. Jacob produced a massive personal best, as well as Monster Mike and Stu (6:37). Great job to all of the boy!
On the girls side, it went out surprisingly slow (our top 5 girls were all next to/in front of Hornell's top 3). The girl's got impatient and blew the race open a mile in. They ran away to victory in dominant fashion finishing 1, 2, 3 which clinched the meet. The most exciting part of it all was seeing our 4th runner (SyAnna) out kick their 2nd, and our 7th runner finish before their 4th. They were missing Netasha, but even if she won the race it wouldn't have been enough for Hornell to win. That is the first time I have ever seen the AACA girls beat Hornell, and for the first time in a long time both teams are beginning the season with a win! Jenna, Claire, Chloe, SyAnna, Mackenzie, Daria and NyVeah rounded out our top 7 with strong performances by all!
The modified runners were victorious as well with Ibra breaking Andrew's course record and Grace running the 3rd fastest time in our history. Drew was a surprise 3rd runner, followed by Ethan, Julianna, Cooper and Lily. Great job on finishing your first race!
Our next race is this coming Tuesday (10/13/20) at home against Avoca. Each athlete may have 2 spectators for home meets but may not have any for away meets. Thank you all!
Duel @ Hornell
Finally, the official season began on Friday with a race in Hornell. The race started in waves which gave it a very different feel. The boys swept the meet, finishing 1st through 6th, just 2 seconds away from taking 1st through 7th. Micah and Pierce ran their way into 2nd and 3rd all time for the course (albeit the course is different this year) while Salim and Braydon moved into 7th and 10th. Jacob produced a massive personal best, as well as Monster Mike and Stu (6:37). Great job to all of the boy!
On the girls side, it went out surprisingly slow (our top 5 girls were all next to/in front of Hornell's top 3). The girl's got impatient and blew the race open a mile in. They ran away to victory in dominant fashion finishing 1, 2, 3 which clinched the meet. The most exciting part of it all was seeing our 4th runner (SyAnna) out kick their 2nd, and our 7th runner finish before their 4th. They were missing Netasha, but even if she won the race it wouldn't have been enough for Hornell to win. That is the first time I have ever seen the AACA girls beat Hornell, and for the first time in a long time both teams are beginning the season with a win! Jenna, Claire, Chloe, SyAnna, Mackenzie, Daria and NyVeah rounded out our top 7 with strong performances by all!
The modified runners were victorious as well with Ibra breaking Andrew's course record and Grace running the 3rd fastest time in our history. Drew was a surprise 3rd runner, followed by Ethan, Julianna, Cooper and Lily. Great job on finishing your first race!
Our next race is this coming Tuesday (10/13/20) at home against Avoca. Each athlete may have 2 spectators for home meets but may not have any for away meets. Thank you all!
Tuesday, October 6th
White and Teal Scrimmage Results
The meet was a huge success! The teal team won the challenge, except the modified relays. It seemed like everyone worked really hard and pushed themselves, we were thrilled with the effort!
The results are over under the results tab, but the brief recap is that Piece and Micah paved the way, followed a ways back by Dominick, Braydon and Salim. Pierce and Micah moved up to 2nd and 3rd all time on the course while Salim and Braydon moved to 8th and 9th. The top 7 was rounded out by Dakota and Cameron, followed closely by Mike, Evan, Jacob, Stu, Johnny, Patrick, Ethan and Hench. There was a massive gap between runners 5 and 6 (exactly 2 minutes) while there was a 1:51 spread between the 1st and 5th runners.
On the girls side, Jenna was just off of her course record from last year, Claire finished 2nd to post the 2nd fastest girls time in the last 5 years on the home course. Chloe followed closely behind Claire, then there was a gap back to SyAnna (PR?), NyVeah, Daria, McKenzie, Yasmin and Jenna Barrett. Chloe moved up to 3rd all time on the top 10 list while SyAnna moved up to 7th! Wow!
The modified crew ran awesome relays, finishing only 50 seconds apart (we thought that was relatively even!). Ibra ran an excellent 22:21 - Pierce ran around 21:15 in the fall of his 7th grade year at a turkey trot so Ibra is right on his heels!
On both sides we need to work on going out a bit more conservatively so there is some fuel in the tank for that last mile. Great job to both teams!
White and Teal Scrimmage Results
The meet was a huge success! The teal team won the challenge, except the modified relays. It seemed like everyone worked really hard and pushed themselves, we were thrilled with the effort!
The results are over under the results tab, but the brief recap is that Piece and Micah paved the way, followed a ways back by Dominick, Braydon and Salim. Pierce and Micah moved up to 2nd and 3rd all time on the course while Salim and Braydon moved to 8th and 9th. The top 7 was rounded out by Dakota and Cameron, followed closely by Mike, Evan, Jacob, Stu, Johnny, Patrick, Ethan and Hench. There was a massive gap between runners 5 and 6 (exactly 2 minutes) while there was a 1:51 spread between the 1st and 5th runners.
On the girls side, Jenna was just off of her course record from last year, Claire finished 2nd to post the 2nd fastest girls time in the last 5 years on the home course. Chloe followed closely behind Claire, then there was a gap back to SyAnna (PR?), NyVeah, Daria, McKenzie, Yasmin and Jenna Barrett. Chloe moved up to 3rd all time on the top 10 list while SyAnna moved up to 7th! Wow!
The modified crew ran awesome relays, finishing only 50 seconds apart (we thought that was relatively even!). Ibra ran an excellent 22:21 - Pierce ran around 21:15 in the fall of his 7th grade year at a turkey trot so Ibra is right on his heels!
On both sides we need to work on going out a bit more conservatively so there is some fuel in the tank for that last mile. Great job to both teams!
Monday, October 5th
White and Teal Scrimmage
The meet against Addison on Tuesday has been postponed for now. With that in mind we still plan on racing our home course. We have divided into two teams, White and Teal. Each team will wear their respective colors and compete for glorious prizes. The teams are as follows:
White: Pierce, Dom, Cam, Dakota, Jacob, Dylan, Mike, Johnny, Ethan, Jenna, NyVeah, Emma, McKenzie, Yasmin, Grace, Ethan and Lily
Teal: Micah, Salim, Bibo, Evan, Patrick, Andrew, Stu, Hench, Ibra, Chloe, Claire, SyAnna, Daria, Jenna B, Drew, Julianna and Cooper.
The modified runners will participate in a relay, each running 1 mile. At the end we will score White vs. Teal overall, boys vs boys and girls vs girls, and cumulative team times.
White and Teal Scrimmage
The meet against Addison on Tuesday has been postponed for now. With that in mind we still plan on racing our home course. We have divided into two teams, White and Teal. Each team will wear their respective colors and compete for glorious prizes. The teams are as follows:
White: Pierce, Dom, Cam, Dakota, Jacob, Dylan, Mike, Johnny, Ethan, Jenna, NyVeah, Emma, McKenzie, Yasmin, Grace, Ethan and Lily
Teal: Micah, Salim, Bibo, Evan, Patrick, Andrew, Stu, Hench, Ibra, Chloe, Claire, SyAnna, Daria, Jenna B, Drew, Julianna and Cooper.
The modified runners will participate in a relay, each running 1 mile. At the end we will score White vs. Teal overall, boys vs boys and girls vs girls, and cumulative team times.
Saturday, September 26th
Week 1
Week one is in the books! As we look forward, we are still waiting for our race schedule from the athletic directors to be approved. It has gone back and forth between races on Tuesdays and Fridays or Saturdays. We are unsure, but as of now the first race is slated to be on Tuesday, October 6th - although we don't know where, what time or who we are racing.
Practices will continue to begin at the outdoor track at 3:40pm, and they will end at 4:45pm for modified runners. For varsity runners, most practices will end closer to 5:15pm unless it is a workout day.
The roster has grown quite a bit! We currently have 10 varsity girls, 15 varsity boys, 3 modified girls and 4 modified boys. With the infusion of some more Alfred Almond runners, the girls team looks stronger than I ever remember seeing it in my time at Arkport.
The boys team is coming together very nicely, with the big 3 up front and a smattering of other boys running in the 4-10 positions. I made a spread sheet based on today's speed workout. It breaks down everyone's workouts into average mile pace. While 200s are not the best measure of what some of you can run in the mile, it is the best we have! The boys had a massive gap between Dakota's average as the 6th runner at 4:58 and Mike at 7th with 5:47. We have some space to fill!
On the girls side, Chloe paved the way averaging 5:48 while the next group of 4 fell between 6:08 and 6:25. Adding Jenna and Mackenzie into that mix, this is one of the stronger girls teams Arkport has had in the last 5 years.
Week 1
Week one is in the books! As we look forward, we are still waiting for our race schedule from the athletic directors to be approved. It has gone back and forth between races on Tuesdays and Fridays or Saturdays. We are unsure, but as of now the first race is slated to be on Tuesday, October 6th - although we don't know where, what time or who we are racing.
Practices will continue to begin at the outdoor track at 3:40pm, and they will end at 4:45pm for modified runners. For varsity runners, most practices will end closer to 5:15pm unless it is a workout day.
The roster has grown quite a bit! We currently have 10 varsity girls, 15 varsity boys, 3 modified girls and 4 modified boys. With the infusion of some more Alfred Almond runners, the girls team looks stronger than I ever remember seeing it in my time at Arkport.
The boys team is coming together very nicely, with the big 3 up front and a smattering of other boys running in the 4-10 positions. I made a spread sheet based on today's speed workout. It breaks down everyone's workouts into average mile pace. While 200s are not the best measure of what some of you can run in the mile, it is the best we have! The boys had a massive gap between Dakota's average as the 6th runner at 4:58 and Mike at 7th with 5:47. We have some space to fill!
On the girls side, Chloe paved the way averaging 5:48 while the next group of 4 fell between 6:08 and 6:25. Adding Jenna and Mackenzie into that mix, this is one of the stronger girls teams Arkport has had in the last 5 years.
Monday, September 14th
XC is Coming...
The section and superintendents have approved cross country to start on September 21st - next Monday. I have plenty of questions, I'm sure many of you do as well. We will try to seek out some answers, but what we do know is that everyone will be able to attend practice next Monday at 3:40pm. If you do not have school that day, you need to find a ride to school. Hopefully you can car pool with each other.
At practice, everyone needs to wear their masks - neck gaiters are approved as well. Everyone needs 10 practices before they are able to compete making Friday, October 2nd the first possible day we could race. The "regular season" will end on November 7th, meaning sectionals will likely be November 14th or 21st. This means the season is approximately 8 weeks long. Many more things to address, but for now we are looking forward to everyone being back together!
A few shout outs - on Friday a few brave souls ran a 3200m time trial on the track. It looks like Micah paved the way, followed by Pierce, Dom, Salim, and Braydon. Everyone either matched or beat their 3200m from the end of last XC season which is a great way to start. Jenna ran a 1500 to shake the rust off, Stu ran a nice PR in the 1600, and Chloe and Maeve ran personal bests in the 3200m. Ibra ran his first 1600 in a few months and came in at a blazing 5:52 - an unbelievable time for being in 7th grade!
More information to come tomorrow. Reach out if you have any questions!
XC is Coming...
The section and superintendents have approved cross country to start on September 21st - next Monday. I have plenty of questions, I'm sure many of you do as well. We will try to seek out some answers, but what we do know is that everyone will be able to attend practice next Monday at 3:40pm. If you do not have school that day, you need to find a ride to school. Hopefully you can car pool with each other.
At practice, everyone needs to wear their masks - neck gaiters are approved as well. Everyone needs 10 practices before they are able to compete making Friday, October 2nd the first possible day we could race. The "regular season" will end on November 7th, meaning sectionals will likely be November 14th or 21st. This means the season is approximately 8 weeks long. Many more things to address, but for now we are looking forward to everyone being back together!
A few shout outs - on Friday a few brave souls ran a 3200m time trial on the track. It looks like Micah paved the way, followed by Pierce, Dom, Salim, and Braydon. Everyone either matched or beat their 3200m from the end of last XC season which is a great way to start. Jenna ran a 1500 to shake the rust off, Stu ran a nice PR in the 1600, and Chloe and Maeve ran personal bests in the 3200m. Ibra ran his first 1600 in a few months and came in at a blazing 5:52 - an unbelievable time for being in 7th grade!
More information to come tomorrow. Reach out if you have any questions!
Friday, August 28th
Suggested Training
The summer is coming to a close, and for now there is still a Fall sports season on the horizon. While we cannot meet in person, some people have reached out to ask what training they should be doing between now and the first tentative day of XC. Below is a document that offers training ideas between now and then. If you decide to do it, it will have you prepared for the potential season - notice I keep saying potential because it is not 100% confirmed that XC will happen.
We would rather be prepared to succeed. The theme of the year is overcoming obstacles and becoming more gritty people. How do we build this? By working when no one else is, by training our bodies and minds for challenges unknown, and by never giving up. If you choose to do the 2 mile time trial, please send the results our way! Any seniors that are doing this, we recommend you get someone out there to record it so you can use it to assist in the recruiting process to colleges. I miss all of you, and can't wait to see you all in the next 2 weeks!
Suggested Training
The summer is coming to a close, and for now there is still a Fall sports season on the horizon. While we cannot meet in person, some people have reached out to ask what training they should be doing between now and the first tentative day of XC. Below is a document that offers training ideas between now and then. If you decide to do it, it will have you prepared for the potential season - notice I keep saying potential because it is not 100% confirmed that XC will happen.
We would rather be prepared to succeed. The theme of the year is overcoming obstacles and becoming more gritty people. How do we build this? By working when no one else is, by training our bodies and minds for challenges unknown, and by never giving up. If you choose to do the 2 mile time trial, please send the results our way! Any seniors that are doing this, we recommend you get someone out there to record it so you can use it to assist in the recruiting process to colleges. I miss all of you, and can't wait to see you all in the next 2 weeks!
| nysphsaa_press_release_regarding_fall_sports.pdf |
Thursday, July 16th
Fall Updates
As quickly as I can write up state rankings, the state can decide to cancel the state championships! Obviously this is a let down to the entire team, particularly those seniors that were hoping to qualify for states on last time. All we can do in the immediate future is focus on what we can control, and hope there is some season at all. The new official start date for fall sports is September 21st. The timeline for when racing will possibly start has just shifted significantly. There is still a possibility that fall sports will be cancelled altogether, and in that case cross country would be run in an abbreviated 10 week season during the spring. More details can be found in the file above.
My advice - keep running, keep going to captain's practices, and stay positive. We still plan on providing the incentives we laid out for training over the summer, including T-shirts, breakfasts, etc. The Nike regional meet has been cancelled, so we may end up adjusting the incentive plan. We are brainstorming ideas of what to do with all the fitness you will have coming in to the fall if there is no season, so stay tuned. Please reach out if you have any questions, comments or concerns!
Fall Updates
As quickly as I can write up state rankings, the state can decide to cancel the state championships! Obviously this is a let down to the entire team, particularly those seniors that were hoping to qualify for states on last time. All we can do in the immediate future is focus on what we can control, and hope there is some season at all. The new official start date for fall sports is September 21st. The timeline for when racing will possibly start has just shifted significantly. There is still a possibility that fall sports will be cancelled altogether, and in that case cross country would be run in an abbreviated 10 week season during the spring. More details can be found in the file above.
My advice - keep running, keep going to captain's practices, and stay positive. We still plan on providing the incentives we laid out for training over the summer, including T-shirts, breakfasts, etc. The Nike regional meet has been cancelled, so we may end up adjusting the incentive plan. We are brainstorming ideas of what to do with all the fitness you will have coming in to the fall if there is no season, so stay tuned. Please reach out if you have any questions, comments or concerns!
Wednesday, July 15th
Preseason Rankings
Before I jump in to some nerdy stats about this fall, Chi and I cannot put into words how proud we are of everyone for showing up to captain's practices, running on their own and logging runs. I drove by the school on Monday and was ecstatic to see 11 or 12 XC kids wrapping up some hill sprints. If you want to build a strong house, you need to build a solid foundation. Summer is the time to build that foundation so you will be healthy and happy during fall running! A reminder that the only way you can come to the Nike meet this fall is if you log your summer runs. Here is a link to the document we came up with that discusses what you can earn by running over the summer:
It's that time of year where the preseason rankings start paving the way for the fall XC season. Tullyrunners released their individual NYS and national rankings, and a few Ark-Can-AA athletes made the list. While I urge you to take any rankings with a grain of salt, it is neat to see some of you listed on a website other than this one.
The girls rankings came first, featuring Jenna listed as 36th on the class D list. Jenna finished 3rd at sectionals, and 31st at states last fall in Plattsburgh. In a very successful indoor campaign, Jenna lowered her 1000m from 3:37 to 3:17, 1500m from 5:37 to 5:21, and 3k from 12:20 to 11:52. After getting a taste of what competition at the state level looks like, Jenna should be set up to have a very strong fall season. Chloe, Mackenzie and NyVeah were the 2, 3, 4 punch last fall and they seem to be training very well this summer. Mackenzie and NyVeah were 40th and 41st at sectionals, and adding Chloe in to that mix with another year of running under their belt makes for a very interesting top 4. The mystery is the next few girls on the team, including SyAnna, Yasmin, Tressa, and Rachel. Tressa battled injury last year, but when she was healthy she managed to find herself as the 2nd or 3rd girl on the team. Rachel was the 3rd runner behind Libby for the entire 2018 season, and Yasmin and SyAnna were battling injury last year. Emma and Tallulah are moving up to varsity and may be immediate contributors. It also looks as if both Barrett sisters are returning this year, as well as Alexis, Brennah and Taryn. With a healthy team, and the addition of Rachel, the girls team could be looking at their highest sectional finish since 2013 when the girls finished 5th.
Now for some speculation. The fall sports season is still a question mark, but one option that has been presented involved shuffling some sports around which would have XC and golf as our only options for fall sports. As we know from the NXR meet last November, there are some soccer players that could make an immediate impact on the girls team. Guillianna's performance would have her ranked 4th in section V and 27th in class D states. Emily Pfaff's performance would have placed her around 39th at sectionals. Factoring in just those two girls would put the team around 118 points at sectionals last year, which is a for 2nd place. Addison is coming back down to class D, and they are looking to qualify for states as a team for the 5th time in the last 7 years. They have been very dominant, and will be at the front of any race you put them in, regardless of classification. All in all, it makes for a very exciting season for the girls.
On the boys side, they return 5 of the 7 runners from the state team. The team rankings have not come out yet, but I get the feeling they will enter the season ranked 6th behind Beaver River, Delhi, Tully, Sauquoit Valley and Addison. Like the girls, Addison is the favorite to win the boys class D section V race as they have made it to state every year since 2015. On paper the Ark-Can-AA boys may be favored, but history and experience, along with coach Lyons knack to always peak runners at the right moment, make Addison a force to be reckoned with.
Last year - the boys managed to edge Maple Grove on the heels of a disqualification of their top runner. They have graduated 4 of their 7 runners from their state team. While they will be competitive, this may be a rebuilding year for the studs of Bemus Point. Beaver River ran away with the race last year and they return 6 of their top 7 runners, including the top 2 ranked boys in class D. They look unstoppable on paper which should be a huge motivator to our boys this summer. Delhi was the runner up last year, and they return 6 of their top 7 runners, including a dominant 1, 2 punch in Diego Aguirre and Jonathon Hadley that finished 10th and 12th at state last year. Their 4th and 5th runners were right next to Dom in Plattsburgh and their 6th and 7th runners were about 20 seconds behind our 7th runner (Logan). Sauquoit Valley and Tully both return their entire top 7 which were 2nd and 3rd at section 3 sectionals last year. Luckily, each section can only send 1 team per class, so while we may rank behind these two teams, it is very unlikely they will make it to the state meet as they would have to upend Beaver River.
Addison returns 5 of their top 7 from their sectional championship team and they match up very well with our boys. If you merge the times from sectionals last year, we would have beaten them by a very narrow margin. However, that is with a 5th man that was a freshman and they were missing one of their top runners in Levi Riley for the entirety of the season. If he is healthy and running again, they will be the team to beat.
The boys definitely have their work cut out for them, but enter the season with Pierce as the 20th ranked individual in class D, Cameron at 36th and Dom at 37th. Micah's grade is incorrectly listed on website, and I believe he would be right behind Dom at 38th based on last year's results. Dylan was next in line after his 32nd place finish at sectionals, followed by an excellent squad of Paul, Dakota, Braydon, Andrew, Salim, Evan and Titus. All of those boys had excellent seasons last fall, so it will come down to whoever has the most consistent summer training. The jump between 9th and 10th grade can often be dramatic in performance with some boys, and the majority of that group have only run one year of XC. With racing experience and a year of training under their belt, it may be a revolving door of who is in the top 7. Stu and the Stauring brothers have been logging very religiously, and I really think it will pay huge dividends in the fall. Ethan and Hench have been running either on their own or at captain's practices and look to put up some great results during their senior campaign. New comer Jacob Broughton also signed up and we are happy to add him in (he ran modified track in 7th grade, and comes to us with a background in many sports). As the boys chase down their 2nd straight title at sectionals, it may be a very similar crew from last year.
The modified team will feature Cooper, Ibrahim, Ethan (whom we have yet to meet), Molly and Lily. We are very fortunate to welcome new faces to the team!
My rambling of the day is done - I am very excited and optimistic about the fall season. Unfortunately, I can all but guarantee some of the bigger meets like McQuaid will be cancelled this year due to concerns about COVID-19. Stay positive, keep hydrating, and keep in touch!
Preseason Rankings
Before I jump in to some nerdy stats about this fall, Chi and I cannot put into words how proud we are of everyone for showing up to captain's practices, running on their own and logging runs. I drove by the school on Monday and was ecstatic to see 11 or 12 XC kids wrapping up some hill sprints. If you want to build a strong house, you need to build a solid foundation. Summer is the time to build that foundation so you will be healthy and happy during fall running! A reminder that the only way you can come to the Nike meet this fall is if you log your summer runs. Here is a link to the document we came up with that discusses what you can earn by running over the summer:
It's that time of year where the preseason rankings start paving the way for the fall XC season. Tullyrunners released their individual NYS and national rankings, and a few Ark-Can-AA athletes made the list. While I urge you to take any rankings with a grain of salt, it is neat to see some of you listed on a website other than this one.
The girls rankings came first, featuring Jenna listed as 36th on the class D list. Jenna finished 3rd at sectionals, and 31st at states last fall in Plattsburgh. In a very successful indoor campaign, Jenna lowered her 1000m from 3:37 to 3:17, 1500m from 5:37 to 5:21, and 3k from 12:20 to 11:52. After getting a taste of what competition at the state level looks like, Jenna should be set up to have a very strong fall season. Chloe, Mackenzie and NyVeah were the 2, 3, 4 punch last fall and they seem to be training very well this summer. Mackenzie and NyVeah were 40th and 41st at sectionals, and adding Chloe in to that mix with another year of running under their belt makes for a very interesting top 4. The mystery is the next few girls on the team, including SyAnna, Yasmin, Tressa, and Rachel. Tressa battled injury last year, but when she was healthy she managed to find herself as the 2nd or 3rd girl on the team. Rachel was the 3rd runner behind Libby for the entire 2018 season, and Yasmin and SyAnna were battling injury last year. Emma and Tallulah are moving up to varsity and may be immediate contributors. It also looks as if both Barrett sisters are returning this year, as well as Alexis, Brennah and Taryn. With a healthy team, and the addition of Rachel, the girls team could be looking at their highest sectional finish since 2013 when the girls finished 5th.
Now for some speculation. The fall sports season is still a question mark, but one option that has been presented involved shuffling some sports around which would have XC and golf as our only options for fall sports. As we know from the NXR meet last November, there are some soccer players that could make an immediate impact on the girls team. Guillianna's performance would have her ranked 4th in section V and 27th in class D states. Emily Pfaff's performance would have placed her around 39th at sectionals. Factoring in just those two girls would put the team around 118 points at sectionals last year, which is a for 2nd place. Addison is coming back down to class D, and they are looking to qualify for states as a team for the 5th time in the last 7 years. They have been very dominant, and will be at the front of any race you put them in, regardless of classification. All in all, it makes for a very exciting season for the girls.
On the boys side, they return 5 of the 7 runners from the state team. The team rankings have not come out yet, but I get the feeling they will enter the season ranked 6th behind Beaver River, Delhi, Tully, Sauquoit Valley and Addison. Like the girls, Addison is the favorite to win the boys class D section V race as they have made it to state every year since 2015. On paper the Ark-Can-AA boys may be favored, but history and experience, along with coach Lyons knack to always peak runners at the right moment, make Addison a force to be reckoned with.
Last year - the boys managed to edge Maple Grove on the heels of a disqualification of their top runner. They have graduated 4 of their 7 runners from their state team. While they will be competitive, this may be a rebuilding year for the studs of Bemus Point. Beaver River ran away with the race last year and they return 6 of their top 7 runners, including the top 2 ranked boys in class D. They look unstoppable on paper which should be a huge motivator to our boys this summer. Delhi was the runner up last year, and they return 6 of their top 7 runners, including a dominant 1, 2 punch in Diego Aguirre and Jonathon Hadley that finished 10th and 12th at state last year. Their 4th and 5th runners were right next to Dom in Plattsburgh and their 6th and 7th runners were about 20 seconds behind our 7th runner (Logan). Sauquoit Valley and Tully both return their entire top 7 which were 2nd and 3rd at section 3 sectionals last year. Luckily, each section can only send 1 team per class, so while we may rank behind these two teams, it is very unlikely they will make it to the state meet as they would have to upend Beaver River.
Addison returns 5 of their top 7 from their sectional championship team and they match up very well with our boys. If you merge the times from sectionals last year, we would have beaten them by a very narrow margin. However, that is with a 5th man that was a freshman and they were missing one of their top runners in Levi Riley for the entirety of the season. If he is healthy and running again, they will be the team to beat.
The boys definitely have their work cut out for them, but enter the season with Pierce as the 20th ranked individual in class D, Cameron at 36th and Dom at 37th. Micah's grade is incorrectly listed on website, and I believe he would be right behind Dom at 38th based on last year's results. Dylan was next in line after his 32nd place finish at sectionals, followed by an excellent squad of Paul, Dakota, Braydon, Andrew, Salim, Evan and Titus. All of those boys had excellent seasons last fall, so it will come down to whoever has the most consistent summer training. The jump between 9th and 10th grade can often be dramatic in performance with some boys, and the majority of that group have only run one year of XC. With racing experience and a year of training under their belt, it may be a revolving door of who is in the top 7. Stu and the Stauring brothers have been logging very religiously, and I really think it will pay huge dividends in the fall. Ethan and Hench have been running either on their own or at captain's practices and look to put up some great results during their senior campaign. New comer Jacob Broughton also signed up and we are happy to add him in (he ran modified track in 7th grade, and comes to us with a background in many sports). As the boys chase down their 2nd straight title at sectionals, it may be a very similar crew from last year.
The modified team will feature Cooper, Ibrahim, Ethan (whom we have yet to meet), Molly and Lily. We are very fortunate to welcome new faces to the team!
My rambling of the day is done - I am very excited and optimistic about the fall season. Unfortunately, I can all but guarantee some of the bigger meets like McQuaid will be cancelled this year due to concerns about COVID-19. Stay positive, keep hydrating, and keep in touch!
Monday, June 29th
Summer Training
Below is the link to the document for summer training. If you have any questions, please ask! More explanations to come.
arkportcsd-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/swhittemore_arkportcsd_org/EZxDoCWeDg9LjLRk46Hv5G4BiwXtQwLZFT899BFrWQE3kw?e=TOgswz
Summer Training
Below is the link to the document for summer training. If you have any questions, please ask! More explanations to come.
arkportcsd-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/swhittemore_arkportcsd_org/EZxDoCWeDg9LjLRk46Hv5G4BiwXtQwLZFT899BFrWQE3kw?e=TOgswz
| xc_2020_summer_training.pdf |
