Liberty Bell XC: Okanogan Highlands League Meet (MS) -- 10/21/2022

OKHL Championships – 10/21/2022

Course Length – 1.5 miles

General Notes – This was the final race of the season! None of our athletes had ever run at Oroville, which means the excellent performances were especially impressive! The course is a bit strange, with grass, gravel, dirt, sand, and rocks all appearing at some point on the loop. The opening half mile is always slow at Oroville, and the closing half mile is always fast. This was definitely the coldest temperature we’ve seen at race time all season, though luckily the wind wasn’t too strong. Overall, really well done! Congratulations to the Boys team for finishing 2nd in the league and to the Girls team on completing their perfect season!

The Liberty Bell Girls won with a score of 19 points. Manson was 2nd with 44 points. There were 37 athletes and 3 scoring teams in the race.

Liberty Bell Boys were 2nd with a score of 47. Bridgeport won with a score of 43. There were 48 athletes and 5 scoring teams in the race.

Anja – One mile: 6:59. Finish: 10:03, 5th place. Average: 6:42.

What a race. You put it all out there! You are racing smarter each time and I think you’re doing an excellent job of finding the balance of staying in control and being patient and giving it your all. On an especially tough course, you ran your fastest average pace this season. It’s awesome that you have teammates to race with, it makes things just a bit more fun. Amazing job!

Avery – One mile: 7:35. Finish: 10:42, 12th place. Average: 7:08.

Wowzers! You raced hard. You ran your fastest mile split, average pace and overall time at the last race of the season. That is amazing timing and shows that your efforts throughout the season paid off. You looked calm but really determined throughout the race, even when you were running by yourself which is tough! I am super excited to see you get after it and have fun in your first season of XC.

Alida – One mile: 7:55. Finish: 11:11, 18th place. Average: 7:27.

Yay! That was a fantastic race. And it was on a course where the first half mile is really tough! You looked focused and in the “zone” throughout the race. Looking back to your last race last season, your average mile pace this year was about a minute faster. That is a lot of improvement and it’s coming both from hard work and your thoughtful attitude on your training and racing. Plus, you crushed your mile time goal!

Sky – One mile: 7:48. Finish: 11:12, 19th place. Average: 7:28.

Your first time racing in the cold, with a beach, with rocks, with hills….and you looked great. You ran relaxed and consistent the entire race (even with your sweat top wrapped around your waist). You PR’d by 40 seconds despite the tough course. You will just continue to get faster.

Elsa – One mile: 7:58. Finish: 11:21, 22nd place. Average: 7:34.

A 30 second PR! Need I say more? You have been training hard and it showed. I loved the way you ran with teammates both pulling them along and having them pull you along. I can’t wait for track season.

Luke – One mile: 6:27. Finish: 9:22, 6th place. Average: 6:14.

What a great finish to the season. A top 10 in league and a 30 second PR! You worked hard all season and it showed. You looked determined in the race and your pace was over a minute per mile faster than last year’s PR. Quite the improvement. Can’t wait to see what you do on the track.

Liam – One mile: 7:15. Finish: 10:15, 21st place. Average: 6:50.

Great work. You went into this one with a positive mindset and you could really tell! Even during the steep uphills, you looked like you were focused. That helped you not go out too fast and then be able to move up throughout. You’ve been improving a little bit each race this season, and for comparison, your average pace at the last race last year was about a minute slower than this year. That’s leaps and bounds! Awesome job.

Cassius – One mile: 8:28. Finish: 12:00, 33rd place. Average: 8:00.

Nice job! You dug deep for this one. You got to run with some teammates for part of the race which is great and super helpful. You looked really determined throughout this race. I know you’ve been hurting a little but you still did terrific. Running is part mental and part physical and you showed a lot of grit in both ways. I’m super excited you tried XC this year and I hope you had fun too!

Asher – One mile: 11:50. Finish: 15:52, 47th place. Average: 10:34.

It was a tough course with sand, rocks and hills but you gutted it out strong. Your time was a whopping PR by 1 minute and 47 seconds! My favorite part was the look you gave the runner from Paschal Sherman when he tried to pass you in the last 100 meters. Your glare, combined with your kick, left him in the dust. Awesome.