Liberty Bell XC - District Championships
Location: Blue Heron Park, Moses Lake, WA
Date: 10.24.18
Distance: 5k HS Course: Three + laps of Blue Heron Park. A mix of grass, leaves, packed dirt and a few tight and winding turns. One shorter, steeper uphill and a longer gradual downhill. A pretty great fall day all-in-all. Slight breeze and overcast skies. Upper 50’s for 3pm, 3:45 and 4:!5 race times.
VARSITY GIRLS
51 total finishers. Repeat District Champions with 20 points (Trout Lake was 2nd with 52 and White Swan 3rd with 100).
So awesome to see 6 full teams in our District! That growth means good things for the future of girls XC in Central Washington and you are helping to lead the charge! Once again, you all showed up ready to work. We love how you take every race seriously and you always focus on all the little details — the glitter, the skips, the warm up, the foot goals, the cheers—that matter. In general, we ran really well today — I know some of you felt better about it than others but overall, we did what we needed to do. Now you are READY for state. This season has been filled with its challenges — injuries, illnesses, etc — but WOW. We are one deep team and I hope you all are reveling in just how cool it is to be a part of such a powerful group of young women. Treasure this week. Enjoy every minute of our taper. Love hanging out with each other (and especially with our Seniors!). See the hard work and dedication in each of you and get ready to rally one more time this season. Promise yourself that you will soak in every moment at the state meet.
Novie: 18:28, 1st place, 5:52 first mile, 5:56 pace
You can’t get much more consistent than that. This is a relatively slow course, so you are totally ready to go BIG at state. Once again, you had to find your own race in your head and once again you mastered that challenge. I’m thinking you might have a little more company at state and that will be fun!
Icel: 20:12, 2nd place, 6:35 first mile, 6:36 pace
What a stellar senior season! You are just so tough out there and I love how you are putting yourself in a great position right from the get-go. You can go into state week feeling so good about all the hard work you’ve put in over the last 5 years, and you can just relax and enjoy it. You’ll have a few more racers nearby to keep it interesting. You’ve got one more time in the green and gold for XC ahead of you— hope you love every minute of it!
Jori: 20:40, 4th place, 6:35 first mile, 6:39 pace
Another super solid performance, Jori! Your mile splits are nice and consistent—just like we want at the end of the season—and you are racing. Hannah Wapato from Lake Roosevelt got you this week, but you’ll see her again next week and I know you’ll be flying in that last mile at state. You have all the leg strength, lung endurance, and heart you need to have a big performance at state!
Eva: 21:22, 7th place, 6:41 first mile, 6:53 pace
An excellent bounce back race after Leagues and your foot injury. You used your arms really well, especially on some of the rolling downhills. Congratulations on medaling at the District Meet — that is quite an accomplishment! You were ahead of White Swan’s and Trout Lake’s #2 runners, which helped a lot in the team score.
Ella: 21:47, 10th place, 6:29 first mile, 7:01 pace
That took a lot of guts. You were out well and then your body just didn’t feel it. But, you kept your head in it and managed a top 10 finish as our scoring 5th runner. That says so much about your maturity as a runner and your mental tenacity. That may not have been the prettiest race you’ve ever run, or the one you felt the best about, but there was a LOT there to be proud of.
Mahali: 22:02, 11th place, 6:49 first mile, 7:05 pace
You managed your nerves so well! Even though you got pulled out faster than you like, you settled in, found your rhythm, and kept your cool. You ran an awesome 2nd lap — and I think that middle of the race is the difference-maker for you. You just hang so tough in the middle! That is going to serve you so well at the state meet where the field might be more crowded - you will have fun passing people in the second half!
Ava: 22:32, 14th place, 6:41 first mile, 7:15 pace
Let’s remember that was a huge PR over your freshman year on this course. I know it wasn’t what you wanted and you didn’t have the same smile on your face that you did last week, but that’s ok. You’ve got the state meet to bring it all back together! I think you were out a bit fast — I think just a few seconds off that blistering first mile pace and that 2nd lap would have felt so much better. I am 100% certain that you are going to be flying on Saturday!
JUNIOR VARSITY GIRLS (run in combination with the JV boys)
What a great race! You all looked sooooo good! And, it’s important to note that our scoring JV team would have qualified for the state meet had you been eligible to! Pretty impressive and well deserved after a season of hard work!
Keeley: 22:12, 1st place, 6:47 first mile, 7:09 pace
Yes! You came back after a tough League race and you just ran with confidence and poise. Wire to wire, you took the lead and kept the hammer down. Your last 800 was intense with some serious speed! Nice racing!
Lilia: 22:26, 2nd place, 6:51 first mile, 7:13 pace
After a week off with a shoulder injury, you ran with tremendous courage! I loved how you just kept racing the whole way — and you especially put in a nice surge in the second lap. You looked calm, cool, and collected and you put a really nice finishing touch on a very promising freshman season.
Lena: 22:45, 3rd place, 7:07 first mile, 7:19 pace
Congrats on not just breaking 23, but shattering it this time! You just look stronger (and happier) during every race and this was no exception. You had to do this one mostly alone and it is a good sign of your mental tenacity to just keep plugging away at it. Nice kick, too!
Lindsay: 22:58, 4th place, 7:09 first mile, 7:24 pace
Yahoo!!! That one looked so good! I will never forget watching you find two whole new gears at the finish when you realized you were going to break 23. All that hard work (and all that hard work at learning to rest, too!) paid off! I’m so happy for you. And, thank you for being such an excellent captain of the JV team at the race. You were terrific!
Annika: 23:36, 5th place, 7:17 first mile, 7:36 pace
A PR for 5K! That’s impressive, because usually this course runs quite a bit slower than Twilight and 509’er on golf courses. And, all the more impressive, is that you did it basically running all alone. You have a ton of grit and determination and it is so awesome to watch you work hard every day. We’re lucky you decided to come back out for the team!
Ayeanna: 24:03, 6th place, 7:21 first mile, 7:49 pace
Almost a one minute improvement over Twilight. That’s quite an achievement. And, this race you had to do it basically running by yourself. You have successfully made the transition to 5K and you are finding your racing style. We can’t wait to see you next year — with a season of experience you’ll be ready to rock some PR’s for sure!
Payten: 25:29, 7th place, 7:57 first mile, 8:12 pace
You looked SO good in the second half of this race and I love how you just totally let it rip in the last 400 meters. What a great end to your freshman season— I hope you are pleased! You showed patience in the first mile and then you just slowly but surely started moving up and by the last lap you were confident and really into it. Excellent!
Willa: 25:39, 8th place, 7:57 first mile, 8:15 pace
Wow! The PR season just continued! You ran more than a minute faster than you did at Twilight (another 5K) and almost 45 seconds faster than last week (which was only 3 miles). That’s so incredible and such a testament to your willingness to put in the hard work that racing 5K requires. You can do anything you set your mind to!
Anja: You started this one which took a lot of courage. And, though your shins and knees just weren’t ready for it on this particular day, we are so impressed with your work ethic and your gritty determination. We just want to say that we are so glad you came out for the team this year. You finished a 5K (your goal!) and you did everything you could to manage injury and be an awesome and supportive teammate. Now that you have this season of experience, we sure hope you’ll join us again next year! It only gets more fun!
Liv: Once again you managed the tough job of watching your teammates do the thing you want to do. And, you did it with grace! Thanks for being such a great mile split-taker, for comforting people after their races, and for really being another coach. You may not have had the season you wanted from a running standpoint, but you sure showed up as a person and as a teammate.
Gretta, Greta, and Kierra: As always, we were thinking of you and looking forward to racing with you again, hopefully next season!
VARSITY BOYS
84 finishers. 90 points. Third to Mason (74) and Tonasket (81) and 10 points ahead of Brewster.
Nine years in a row! Congrats to ALL of you (JV and Varsity both) for keeping the streak alive and for stepping up to the plate in the biggest race of the year.
Emerson 16:57, 3rd place, 5:22 1st mile - 5:27 pace
Another confident and calculated race. Hanging well in the group and looking strong in the middle with lots of little moves to cover and contact to keep throughout the race. And one more sub-5:30 first mile should be good practice for State next weekend as well. We’ll talk this week about strategy etc. but some context this week for Connor again and for the runner from Tri-Cities Prep should be a good thing to key on for State as well. Congrats on an excellent season over all for sure and the new state course should be fast and fun!
Travis 17:15, 6th place, 5:33 1st mile - 5:33 pace
Well done again — both in staying relaxed enough early and in competing late. Sorry that your hip continues to nag, but you took the right steps and found a great spot early to work your way into a sweet kick to the finish with Garett Wilson from Tonasket late. Also nice to see you get a little revenge over Grant Torgeson from Manson, and with more smart racing like this you should be poised to crack the top 25 at State and hopefully to take a late race run for a spot on the podium.
Lazo: 18:19, 25th place, 5:49 1st mile - 5:54 pace
Rollin’ Once again a vintage Lazo late-season District performance, and this year it mattered more than any before. Super glad to have your steady and reliable hand on the throttle for keeping our 3-6 runners on track and honest with the Manson and Tonasket crews both early and late. SO close all around in the mix with those guys and we’ll have similar work to do next weekend in Pasco. It’ll be a slightly new course this year, but no matter what its awesome to have 4 of our 7 back at State with some experience to burn.
Bellamy 18:30, 29th place, 5:51 1st mile - 5:57 pace
Sorry about your leg Bellamy, but another great race to help us earn another berth at State. Without your surge through the later half of the season we could easily have ended this season just a little shy of qualifying, but nine years in a row is better then starting over again in 2019. Ice and ibuprofen. Roll those quad, IT bands, and calves. Not much to do this week but to get those legs feeling fresher and looser. Great work again and now comes the fun part.
Simon: 18:35, 30th place, 5:44 1st mile - 5:59 pace
Another tough and gutsy race. You were feeling a bit more yourself at Leagues, but holding your spot in the later part of this race was certainly key to our team performance. And now 10 days between races is WAY better than 4. So glad to have you be a part of this for four years Simon. After dropping some major time between 9th and 10th grade and then again last year, you’re due for chuck to drop again at State. Rest up. Sleep. Take care of things this week and we can look forward to a great way to end the senior season next weekend in Pasco!
Bodhi: 19:17, 42nd, 5:50 1st mile - 6:12 pace
Word on street says you were sick and not entirely yourself last weekend — but at the same time really wanting to hold your spot on this team and to run at State. Mission accomplished! Hopefully a restful weekend and a less dire set of circumstances will set you up well for a fine season finish at State. The pressure is totally off. You are strong. You are fit. you’ve got more speed then you realize. Tarps off in Pasco — cupping marks and all!!! (PS I mean that figuratively.) Have fun with this last XC race of the year and then its on to snow!
Owen: 19:34, 46th place, 5:59 1st mile - 6:18 pace
Congratulations Owen on a fine season overall and a really great rebound back into the 19:30’s for this penultimate meet of the season. Your contributions to the tenor of this group, from random intellectual conversations - to giving Simon some added company on MANY runs have been great to see and I hope that you have enjoyed participating in this team as much as we have enjoyed having you be a part of it. One more road trip and an overnight to boot. Soak it up and enjoy!
JUNIOR VARSITY BOYS
Cooper: 19:17, 2nd place, 6:01 1st mile - 6:12 pace
Steady again and far and away your best race of the year. Congrats Cooper on an excellent District meet. On the heels of this and the similar performance at Leagues, we have decided to give you the 7th spot on the varsity team for State. Nothing different that you need to do, but congratulations overall on an excellent season. One more race to go and its all icing on the cake from here.
Andrew: 19:59, 4th place, 6:01 1st mile - 6:26 pace
Another fine race and good to see you going for it early and rolling the dice a bit on a chance to win the race. There are moments always where someone makes a push, and you fought hard to hang with Cooper through the middle even if it just didn’t pan out in the end. Hoping that we’ll see you in practices over this next week and congratulations on earning your alternate role with State qualifying team.
Steady again and far and away your best race of the year. Congrats Cooper on an excellent District meet. On the heels of this and the similar performance at Leagues, we have decided to give you the 7th spot on the varsity team for State. Nothing different that you need to do, but congratulations overall on an excellent season. One more race to go and its all icing on the cake from here.
Andrew: 19:59, 4th place, 6:01 1st mile - 6:26 pace
Another fine race and good to see you going for it early and rolling the dice a bit on a chance to win the race. There are moments always where someone makes a push, and you fought hard to hang with Cooper through the middle even if it just didn’t pan out in the end. Hoping that we’ll see you in practices over this next week and congratulations on earning your alternate role with State qualifying team.
AND for David, Eli, and Kieren… this race was a blast to watch!
David: 20:12, 6th place, 6:19 1st mile - 6:30 pace
What Rob said about Brewster made an inspired difference late, but no matter what, you and Eli were in this one from the start. Glad to see you running again with little thought or worry about your foot, and this was a great sign-off on the freshman season — with more to come and more time drop in the seasons ahead!
Eli: 20:15, 8th place, 6:20 1st mile - 6:30 pace
Fastest first mile of the year, and it just continued from there. A really great freshman season and your strength from summer hiking and consistent workouts through the season really shinned in these last two races. Your form continues to look great from race-to-race and each year will build on the next going forward. You have no idea how much faster you are going to be 1-2 years from now, but it’s going to be fun to watch!
Kieren: 21:01, 11th place, 6:22 1st mile - 6:46 pace
The photos of this race tell it all. Head up, looking ‘round the corner. Locked on to Eli etc. etc. Another small field I know, but they way that you all ran was impressive indeed. Psyched to see you knock some time off of that former Bridgeport PR and we can’t wait to have you back again as a sophomore. And let’s just remember, nearly 20 seconds faster than Emerson’s freshman year time on this course!
