Liberty Bell XC - State Championships
Location: Sun Willow Golf Course, Pasco, WA.
Date: 11.5.16
Distance: 5km Conditions: Beautifully clipped golf course grass with some rolling ups and downs and a few more ups in the last mile. Downhill finish. Super foggy morning for the Girls race, still some high fog for the boys race. Slick grass, moderate temps.
HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS -- (8 teams and 78 total finishers). 1st Place -- 24 points (40 points ahead of #2 and perennial favorite Northwest Christian Lacey).
Where to begin? What a crazy good day of racing! You kicked off LBHS's best day ever at the state cross country meet (victory for you and then you inspired the boys to an amazing 2nd place finish, too). You dominated with 24 points --- the 4th lowest girls score in all divisions ever. Your 40 point margin of victory is the 5th largest ever in B school girls. Your average team time of 19:58 is the fastest average team time recorded in the B school girls classification. You brought back to the Methow Valley the FIRST ever girls sports state championship trophy (and what a heavy, massive one it is!) and only the 4th such trophy ever (Boys wrestling and Boys Cross Country have the others).
All those stats and numbers matter and we hope you take great Mountain Lion pride in them. We are glad to celebrate them, too. But, we are even more impressed with the way in which you got to this point. You all -- all 9 of you -- worked hard. You embraced big, ambitious, even scary goals. You gained confidence in yourselves and in each other. You cared. You refused to let any one performance define you. You grew to believe you really were stronger than the sum of your individual parts and that you could draw strength, rather than competition, from each other. You ran smart -- especially impressive for a team with at most 1 year of 5K high school cross country experience. You trusted your training. You always left it all out there with your efforts. You were there for each other. You finished races and ran out of the chute to cheer on your teammates. You stood on that start line as a TEAM -- and an unstoppable one at that. We are, pure and simple, so honored to know each and every one of you and thank you so much for letting us ride the wave of this magical season with you.
No doubt the next few days you'll have lots of people at school and in your community congratulating you. Accept these accolades with all the grace we know you have -- you have earned the praise and you deserve your collective moment in the sun.
Novie: 18:51, 1st place, 5:54 first mile, 6:04 pace overall
Congratulations on the first-ever individual cross-country title in LBHS history! And, congratulations on doing it in such fine fashion. You refused to let that head cold get in your way -- you just put mind over matter and raced the race your way, taking charge early on. You also refused to be intimidated by defending champ and senior Madison Ward, who valiantly held with you for a mile until you just moved into a whole other gear. Aside from owning the fastest 5K time ever in LBHS girls cross country history, you also manage to combine unending endurance, multiple gears of speed, relentless mental fortitude, a tangible love for racing, and an infectious team spirit. Nicely done, Novie McCabe.
Gretta: 19:28, 3rd place, 6:03 first mile, 6:16 per mile pace overall
Last week's race report ended with "trust and believe." And, you did! What an incredible race! More than 14 seconds per mile faster than last week -- and last week was terrific! You were just 8 seconds out of 2nd place and moving on Madison Ward with every meter. Yes -- we thought you'd have some company with some of the NW Christian Lacey girls, but you took it out Gretta style and they weren't willing to go. It was gutsy on your part and exactly the right thing to do, because you were ready for this breakout effort. Your mile pace was EXACTLY the "ideal" pace time we've been running in workouts the past few weeks. You just got in the groove and went for it----so great! (And just for some perspective, you were just 14 seconds off Sadie Bjornsen's time in 2004, when she was runner-up---impressive indeed!).
Athena: 20:11, 7th place, 6:29 first mile, 6:30 pace overall
Another awesome Athena performance. You are 2 for 2 on trips to the individual State podium. That's quite a streak -- congratulations! A few key things to know: 1) you were 10 seconds per mile faster than last week, 2) your time on this course from last year would have had you finish in the exact same place, 3) you ran pretty much even splits--that's not easy to do and shows a lot of race savvy from a sophomore and 4) just a reminder, you were 7th in the STATE meet and a key part of a team victory. It was so great to see your smile with your teammates as you realized you all had won. We can't wait to see what you have in store for next year -- it's going to keep getting better and better!
Lucy: 20:33, 11th place, 6:30 first mile, 6:37 pace overall
Lucy Cole -- you are amazing! You looked so good during this whole race -- confident, strong, comfortable even! It was flat out incredible. Your time was the 6th fastest ever run by an LBHS girl over 5K (yes, read that sentence again because it is true!). You ran with so much heart -- you just trusted yourself and you raced the race. We love that you didn't let that voice of doubt creep in when you realized just how far up in the race you were (you were ahead of Asotin's #1 runner!) Good for you for just being ok with it all. You are only beginning to realize how fast you are and next year is going to be so much fun!
Icel: 20:41, 14th place, 6:32 first mile, 6:41 pace overall
Congratulations on the 7th fasted 5K time in LBHS girls cross-country history and shaving 15 places (and almost 30 seconds) off last year's state performance. You ran with all the race confidence of a senior -- making sure you got out quick enough but not too quick and then trusting that you'd be reeling them in over the second half. You looked so solid at the 2 - 2.5 mile mark -- we could just tell you were going for it. And go for it, you did. You were 29 places (yes 29) ahead of the next team's 5th runner. That's tough to beat! Thanks, too, for keeping the team moving and calm on that start line. You've been a terrific captain!
Ava: 21:01, 18th place, 6:29 first mile, 6:46 pace overall
So excited for you Ava! Your time puts you as 9th in the history books for LBHS girls 5K and this was 52 seconds (and 22 places) better than last year. With your time this weekend, you would have been our #2 runner last year! So many good thing happened in this race. You continued to get out boldly and you proved you can endure that. As our 6th runner you were displacing points for other teams right and left, because you were ahead of Lacey's 4th runner, Colbert's 3rd, and Asotin's 2nd. We hope you take a moment to soak that all in because that is downright stunning.
Rivers: 21:20, 23rd place, 6:34 first mile, 6:52 pace overall
There is so much here to be proud of. Aside from your teammates, Novie and Gretta, you were the fastest freshman in the race. Your mile pace was the same as last week at districts -- which we know you felt really good about. Like Ava, you were forcing points onto other teams by displacing their runners -- you were ahead of Lacey's 4th and Colbert's 3rd runners. And, you finished in the top 25 at your first state meet. We know it wasn't the performance you wished for, but it was pretty darn amazing and we hope that you'll see that, too. Plus, all season you have been a key part of this team's success -- so take out that sweatshirt from last year and mark out the word "future" and smile at all you have accomplished because it's a lot!
Taya:
We cannot thank you enough for your steady, senior presence this year and especially on Saturday. At every turn, you modeled how to maintain fun and calm in the face of a pretty intense and nerve-wracking scene. We are so glad you decided to join the team this season and are only sad we'll only get one fall with you! (PS - We also can't wait to see what you do with all that video/photo footage you got--bet some of it was pretty cool with all the fog!)
Sage:
Thanks for being there to be the official pump-up music master and to offer to carry all those voices of doubt from the runners at the start line. You are a terrific teammate and you helped keep the racers loose and focused on the fun of it all. We're really glad you were there.
HIGH SCHOOL BOYS — (16 teams and 155 total finishers). Second place with 90 points! (41 points ahead of #3 Tonasket and 26 points behind perennial champs, NW Christian Lacy). This is the 4th lowest LBHS State points total ever. Right in the ballpark of our 2nd place finishes in 2001 (87 points) and 2000 (85 points), with only the 1998 first place finish (64 points) being a little further out of reach.
Congrats to one and all on an exemplary final meet of the year and thanks for bringing the noise on race day to make this the best-ever day in the history of Liberty Bell XC. EVERY race has its ups and downs of individual performances vs ideal expectations, but on this day we were very close to hitting on all cylinders, and from a team perspective we out performed even our best expectations. We got a little help in this regard from teams that didn’t quite live up to par — and as a District we should be psyched as well for the 3rd place performance of Tonasket and the 2nd place over all finish of Daniel Ness of DeSalles.
Thank you again to all of the kids, parents, bus drivers, and school administrators that make this possible. August 2017 here we come! GRRR!!!!
Wes: 16:58.6, 10th place, 5:15 first mile (11th), 5:28 pace overall
A new 5k PR at the absolute right time and place! And this year’s course didn’t seem to run nearly as fast as the last couple of years — at least by most counts and the comparable efforts of even the likes of overall champion Luke Schilter of NWC Lacy. Pleased to see you going out just a little bit back of Eli in just the right spot and then moving up as the race progressed. Your track speed served you well in that final 200m stretch into the finish and we’ll look forward to working with that even more when we kick things off this spring!
A new 5k PR at the absolute right time and place! And this year’s course didn’t seem to run nearly as fast as the last couple of years — at least by most counts and the comparable efforts of even the likes of overall champion Luke Schilter of NWC Lacy. Pleased to see you going out just a little bit back of Eli in just the right spot and then moving up as the race progressed. Your track speed served you well in that final 200m stretch into the finish and we’ll look forward to working with that even more when we kick things off this spring!
Eli: 17:08.2, 14th place, 5:12 first mile (16th), 5:31 pace overall
A hard fought first mile and a gritty final three weeks of the season! You are SO steady and reliable - we only wish that we could have helped you more to be totally loose and free from the hip flexor snag for your ideal race at State. Regardless, on a slightly slower day you were right in the ballpark of your time from 2015 and you moved up 2 spots on the podium. You got in contention early and held tight to Hunter and others — getting the best of several at the end and definitely giving Wes a good teammate to run with in the middle part of the race. And this TEAM is only just coming into form! The scoring seven went 9, 11, 21, 22, 27, 39, and 50 - for 90 points. The State Championship team from 1998 (with 2 seniors, 2 sophomores, and 3 freshman in the Gregg twins/Solomon Woras era) went 5, 6, 10, 22, 25, 27, and 76 for 64 points. With you and Cade as seniors in 2017, and with the likes of Lazo, Simon, Tim, Bodie, Travis, Ian, and Dusty added to this already excellent mix, the future is golden for LBHS XC!
Emerson: 17:45.7, 28th place, 5:32 first mile (38th), 5:43 pace overall
Happy that you really found a groove in the final few races of the season and that you’ve ironed out some of those early season pacing and side stitch issues. This week’s cluster of you and Walker and Cade - all within 6 seconds! - is a MAJOR component of our team’s outstanding showing. If we can replicate this again next year and refine the ebbs and flows of moving this group even farther up in the field, then we can seriously begin to consider a repeat performance at State and a push for something even more. Congrats as well on a major rebound from the finish in ’16 and we hope that this launches you into an excellent winter of nordic racing ahead!
Walker: 17:45.9, 29th place, 5:30 first mile (33rd), 5:43 pace overall
5th freshman in the State and only .3 seconds out of 4th. A gusty race Walker, and while sorry to hear that you were plagued with an upset stomach, it is impressive for sure how well you hung on to your early top 30 position and battled your way to the finish. In 2004 Eric Bjornsen finished 17th overall in 17:32 — a time that was no doubt in your wheelhouse on a more absolute perfect day — but that is racing, and you gutted this one out in excellent fashion. Congrats as well for being so solid and reliable from day one of the season — an impressive continuance of your middle school racing that is going to help this high school team immensely over the next few years.
5th freshman in the State and only .3 seconds out of 4th. A gusty race Walker, and while sorry to hear that you were plagued with an upset stomach, it is impressive for sure how well you hung on to your early top 30 position and battled your way to the finish. In 2004 Eric Bjornsen finished 17th overall in 17:32 — a time that was no doubt in your wheelhouse on a more absolute perfect day — but that is racing, and you gutted this one out in excellent fashion. Congrats as well for being so solid and reliable from day one of the season — an impressive continuance of your middle school racing that is going to help this high school team immensely over the next few years.
Cade: 17:51.2, 34th place overall, 5:31 first mile (37th), 5:45 pace overall
Out just right near the top 30 and fighting for every step of the way. A truly commendable race and your best for sure of the last two years! Proud of you for dealing with a roller coaster of colds and also for making some tough decisions on balancing your athletic desires spread across so many different sports. You settled in very well the last month and if we get things rolling with the right mix of endurance, speed, and strength (and at least a little summer running) its going to be marvelous having you and Eli at the helm of this crew in your senior year. Recover well and have a great ski season! PS As our 5th runner you were displacing the MASSES and were in front of Asotin’s AND Colbert’s 3rd, Brewster’s 2nd, and too many more to count!
Peter: 18:11.9, 50th place overall, 5:33 first mile (39th), 5:51 pace overall
By leaps and bounds an outstanding season - and at State the accolades only mounted! 1:28 faster than last year and this year’s course was running slightly slow. You also started 32 seconds faster in the opening mile and apparently held serve relative to last year such that your average pace this year was STILL faster than your opening mile in 2015. And for that matter, you finished 50 total places higher in the meet - thusly rounding out a “6th man on the team” performance nearly 30-40+ points better than that of any LBHS team since our run of 2nd place finishes 1999-2001. See the end for some added 2017 inspiration, but congrats again on a terrific season!
Carter: 18:39.0, 70th place overall, 5:36 first mile (51st), 6:00 pace overall
Mission accomplished! Four years and two State podiums Carter! Congratulations on an outstanding season and for putting an exclamation point on your Liberty Bell High School XC career by putting our entire State-running top 7 at 6 minute pace or better for the meet. SUCH a sweet way for this to finish up and we’re so pleased that you were able to strike that balance between school and college testing and applications — and to make it through the season with more consistent and predictable results than ever before.
Lazo: First alternate. Second year at State!
It can’t be said enough what an amazing sophomore season you had Lazo. SO many HUGE pr’s from race to race and we’re excited to have you back again next year to put this team in the thick of it for a repeat performance at State with even an eye towards challenging for that overall Championship trophy! (See below for hopefully some added incentive for summer training or a spring track season — JK - We know that you play soccer and that’s great!)
Simon: Second alternate. First year at State!
Likewise an awesome year Simon, and really glad that you got to experience the State meet with an eye towards racing there in 2017! Our team gets even tougher with several rising freshman and only one senior to graduate, but your 2016 campaign was a great step in the right direction and a good summer next year should have your right back in the thick of it to pick up where your left off.
** AND JUST TO BE NOTED ** NW Christian Lacey loses four seniors this year - as does NW Christian Colbert. Lacey especially has some speedy underclassman already in the ranks with undoubtedly more coming up — but so does LBHS! We can talk more about other teams from this year’s top 9 mix at a later date, but it’s never too early to start thinking about a real challenge for that top spot in 2017!!!
