September 3 at the St Patrick Cross Country Invite.
Our first meet went very well for the team. We had 14 girls running in two races. The JV Team were led by Freshmen, Yazmeen Ramirez (19:50) and Brigid Townsend (20:21) in the Frosh-Soph 2.5 mile race. They will be competing with the Varsity Team at our next meet on Saturday. Rosa Pergams was our star during the Varsity 3 mile Race with a time of 21:59. She was followed by strong performances by the rest of the girls who averaged 24:00 times. They started off the year great!
2007-08 Cross Country Season Summary
This year's Cross Country season was somewhat challenging for the athletes and coaches as we worked together to prepare them during the season. Many of the girls had never participated in this sport before. They were unaccustomed to the long distances and competitive nature of the meets. Several of the girls began the season with serious injuries others had not properly conditioned. Despite these setbacks, the team overall experienced a lot of individual growth athletically and personally. Through the difficult practices, they learned more about their potential and capacity to surpass their own limits. They developed strong relationships with each other that overlapped into their school life. All of them improved greatly as seen in their times from meet to meet.
There were several girls who stood out in the team because of their achievements. Liz Dolis and Christina Koch were the seniors that served as the leaders of the team through their example during practices. The rest of the Varsity team competed very well throughout the year against some difficult teams. Maureen Conneeley and Nicole Rico were two first time runners that improved the most.
Although the team was not competitive against most other schools, they showed dedication and persistence in every meet. They practiced hard and ran strong and saw great progress in all areas.
Season Wrap Up - October 22
Liz Dolis qualified for Sectionals as the second individual qualifier which will take place next Saturday October 27th at Niles West. She placed 27th overall with a time of 21:10.
Following the OPRF Meet, We only had two regular meets left. The girls ran well at the Loyola Invitational which was a very challenging course. The team took 31st overall out of 35 teams. The Elmwood Park Invitational showed some very strong performances from our Varsity runners including Liz Dolis, Christina Koch, Jessica Rubin, Maureen Conneeley, and Arielle Arzu. Our Conference Meet was held at Mt. Assisi this year. Liz Dolis placed within the top 30 runners with a time of 20:08. The rest of the Varsity girls were not far behind, all coming in under 23 minutes. The team took 8th place out of 12 overall. The Regional Meet was filled with a lot of strong competition. Nicole Rico earned a new personal record with a time of 22:06. Liz Dolis qualified for Sectionals as the second individual qualifier which will take place next Saturday October 27th at Niles West. She placed 27th overall with a time of 21:10. The Team placed 7th out of 12 teams overall.
Mid-Season Report - Sept. 26th
This season has been a challenge with a change in coaching staff and a lot of new athletes. We’ve all been learning from each other and working from the ground up to help form this team. Many of the girls have been struggling with injuries since the beginning of the year. They continued to push through those obstacles with the help of our trainer, Jen.
We’ve had some surprising new talent this year with the addition of Freshman Maureen Conneely and Nicole Rico who have joined the Varsity team. Returnees are led by Liz Dolis and include Jess Rubin, Christina Koch, Arielle Arzu, Kristen Oggerino, and Rosie Nardulli, and Sofia Chernet. The Junior Varsity team has shown a lot of improvement and definitely show a lot of promise.
Our best performance for Varsity this year has been downstate at Peoria where many of the girls achieved their personal bests for the season. Most of the girls had times coming in around 22 minutes with Liz Dolis just under at 21:59. The Junior Varsity girls ran some of their best times for the year at the Argo Invitational. It was a shorter coarse but very difficult with several large hills. Most of the girls finished the course around 25 minutes.
The girls continue to work hard in practices and are striving to be prepared for our Conference Meet on October 13th.
OPRF Meet 9/22
This meet we approached differently by setting personal goals for times. Many of the girls aimed to drop about 2 minutes from there time and many were successful. There was a lot of good competition and perfect weather to help aid them in setting new personal records for the season. Liz Dolis led the team with a time of 21:17 followed by Nicole Rico who dropped a minute to a time of 22:18. All of the girls performed well and surpassed their expectations.
