The Rochester Cross Country team went to Lincoln Park on 9/27 for the Springfield High School Invite. The Lincoln Park course is notorious among cross country runners. This is due to the hill that runners are required to climb twice. The hill is the largest the Rochester team has to face all year, and lots of preparation is required to successfully conquer the hill.
The team has raced at this course once already this season, with mixed results. The girls varsity team took 2nd place at the 57th Lee Halberg/Lanphier Invitational on 9/13, also hosted at Lincoln Park. The boys varsity team placed 10th at the same meet.
The team trained hard leading up to the meet. They put in many miles on long runs. Hill workouts were frequent, trying to build up the skills necessary to push through the Lincoln Park hill without decreasing finishing times by too much. Early morning runs before school helped get a few more miles in and showed the team’s dedication on cold, dark mornings.
The team had some nerves going into the meet, due to the looming task of climbing the hill. Despite these nerves, morale was high, and the energy was there to succeed at this meet.
“We’re kind of just staying in the shade, keeping our legs cool, staying hydrated,” Ammon Hardy, a senior member of the team, said. “I’m going to go in with a good attitude, and, if, however I perform, it’s going to be good.”
This invite represents a critical point in the season to gauge where the team’s at as the postseason gets ever closer. The girls team’s goal was to beat the Glenwood Titans, some of their biggest competition in the area. This didn’t go exactly as planned, but they put in a good performance regardless, finishing just 2 points behind Glenwood.
“It was nice to know that the weather wasn’t as hot as it had been previously, but at the same time, Lincoln Park is a really hard course, so it was not the most exciting thing,” Myra Gibson, a senior member of the team, said. “I got back on varsity from this race, so that was my personal highlight.”
Even in the harsh conditions, personal successes are found throughout the team. The girls’ team was led by Ashley Zeibert, who finished in 4th place. They are in a good position to make a good run into the postseason, and hopefully end up at the state race in November.
The boys’ team had a unique meet due to the presence of a Freshman and Sophomore-only race. Normally, meets only have JV and Varsity races, forcing skilled younger runners to face seasoned upperclassmen competition. The Fresh/Soph race at the Springfield Invite gave the young runners a chance to show off their skills against competition their own age. The Fresh/Soph boys were led by Gavin Sampson, who finished 30 seconds faster than he had just 2 weeks prior on the same course.
The crowd wasn’t out in full force at this meet, with a small concentration of people near the start/finish line, but vast stretches of the course with few to no people to cheer on the runners through their pain. Cross-country meets are a fun way to get some fresh air and cheer on your school. Come support the Rochester Cross Country team on 10/4 in Jacksonville or 10/18 back in Lincoln Park.
