Plano (Ross Greiter Invitational) Recap

Plano (Ross Greiter) Invitational

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

First of all, a big apology is in order for the long delay in getting this recap up!

Anyway, on Tuesday, we traveled to Plano for our only meet this week. Although it is considered an invitational, we approach it like any other Tuesday meet that we run at. The only difference is that there's more schools than there normally are for a Tuesday meet, not to mention that medals and trophies are also on offer here to the top three teams and top twenty individuals.

As we were loading the bus up to head to Plano, the Homecoming Pep Assembly was going on. After we departed, news reached us that two of our own, Ashley Eiermann and Jasper Requiron had been voted to the Freshman Homecoming Court, to the delight of everyone on board the bus that was now heading down Interstate 88, headed for our destination at Plano. As it turned out, that news was just the start of a banner day for the Sentinel Cross Country crew. By the time we boarded the bus back to Westmont, we had a nice haul coming back home, both on the team and individual levels.

The Plano coaches informed us that the previous time we ran at Plano (way back on September 16th), their course was closer to 5K than it was 3 miles, so they shortened it so that it would be the standard three miles this time.

Ladies Pack it Up Yet Again To Earn Third Place Trophy

The name of the game for success this season for the Sentinel ladies has been the pack. That pack came ready to race, and the efforts of the pack paid off handsomely for the team as well as individuals. The splits are slightly off (particularly the mile), but make no mistake about it: This, without a doubt, was an excellent race for the entire Sentinel lineup of ten ladies, especially coming off of the mile repeats the previous day. Throughout the entire race, our front five runners would work together and run nearly side by side -- barely more than a few footsteps apart from each other.

That front five was made up of Emilia Maslany, who finished 14th, quickly followed by Imogene Asa in 15th. Just a couple of seconds later, Lisa Niemiec finished 17th, and then Brittany Eiermann was not far behind in 19th and Peyton Nash threw down another furious kick to catch and pass a couple of runners ahead of her to claim 20th place. All five of these Sentinel ladies earned medals for their efforts! Even better, these five ladies posted this eye-popping statistic: The five ladies combined for a 1-5 split of just 18 seconds! That is an incredible 1-5 split, and that kind of split will lead to a lot of success for this team in the future.

Not far behind our front five was another pack consisting of Hannah Abbatacola, Lily Arndt, and Halle Nash. All three runners turned in great races: Hannah and Lily finished 35th and 36th, respectively, just a couple seconds apart from each other. Not far behind Lily was Halle in 41st place. Victoria Thomas and Michelle Gorman also turned in very good races to finish 72nd and 74th.

A couple more notes from Tuesday: The 1-7 split between Emilia and Lily was an impressive 1 minute and 38 seconds, and still more impressive was the 1-8 split between Emilia and Halle: 1 minute, 52 seconds! It is very impressive when a 1-7 split is under two minutes, and to have the 1-8 split also under two minutes is awesome! That is a testament to the depth of our team this year, and that is what will lead to continued success as we turn our attention to Amboy on Monday and head into the postseason next week.

The pack scored 12-13-15-17-18-(30)-(31) to score 75 points and earn a third place trophy! Congratulations on a great team race and a well deserved trophy, ladies!

Despite Shorthanded Team, Sentinel Men Step Up To Earn Third Place Trophy

In contrast to the depth of our girls team which showcased itself on Tuesday, on the boys side, we were shorthanded for various reasons (illness, a choir concert, injuries, etc.). That did not bother our Sentinel men who came ready to race in Plano and earned a well-deserved third place trophy for their efforts on Tuesday.

Our top three seniors led the way once again (although Mitch was still under the weather and not running at 100%), and Nick turned in an outstanding race to earn a fourth place trophy. Anthony Alessi followed in fifth place to also earn a trophy for the Sentinels. Mitch Perrotta, despite battling an illness the previous couple of days, ran another strong race to finish 14th and earn a trophy. Our fourth senior, Tony Cordero, stepped up his game on Tuesday and turned in one of his best races of the year and was rewarded for his efforts with a 19th place finish and a fourth trophy for the Sentinel men. Sam Asa also ran a fantastic race to finish 30th, and Jake Juska was not far behind in 37th in another great effort. Jacob Nader also had another great race to finish 61st.

The Sentinel men would score 4-5-14-19-25-(30)-(39) to finish in third place with 67 points and also earn a third place trophy! Way to step up on Tuesday and earn a well-deserved third place trophy, guys!

Looking Ahead...

Two team trophies and nine individual medals is quite a haul from any meet. Awesome job Sentinels on Tuesday at Plano in what was was our final dual meet (even if it is an invitational) of the season.

As I didn't get around to this until after Friday's practice, we will hold practice tomorrow at 8 am. All runners are expected to be there. It will be a very short and quick practice. After Saturday's practice, enjoy the Homecoming Dance. Have a great time, and MAKE GOOD CHOICES!!!  You are representing our team throughout the entire weekend's activities! Please also get to bed at a decent time, as we have a major meet on Monday.

On Sunday, Jacob Nader and his family will be hosting the pasta party before the Amboy Columbus Day Invitational on Monday. Jacob has said that his party will start at 6 pm. Have a great time at the pasta party, thank your hosts, pack your bags for Monday's meet and get to bed at a decent time!

On Monday, we will travel to Amboy for the Columbus Day Invitational. This is our last invitational meet before the postseason begins. You are expected to be at school no later than 7:00 am. The bus will depart the high school at 7:15 am, with or without you!

After Amboy on Monday, our attention will turn to Saturday's Interstate Eight Conference Championship. We will return for the second time this season to Lisle's Community Park for this meet. This will be the last meet of the season for some of our runners. The season is quickly approaching its conclusion, but there's still a ways to go. Right after Conference, we will begin our state series run.

The journey to November 8th continues.... GO SENTINELS!