XC Update - Oct 18

Titan XC Update - Oct 18, 2009

THANKS
A big thanks to so many who helped make the Region One Championships a success. Thanks to the parents who helped and supported, especially Bill Wilcox. He not only took care of the finish area, but he and Julie fed the kids the night before the meet. Thanks to Paul Murray for his help as the starter and finish judge. Rob and Stacie Wilcox covered about ½ of the jobs that needed to be taken care of. John Merrill and the student body officers and advisors were great. John provided the sound system that added a great deal to the meet. A huge thanks to the administration for their support and help with the awards. In over 30 years of coaching, I’ve never had a more supportive administration. Kelsey Westbroeke’s typing skills saved many hours of work. It was great to see so many students, parents, etc., out on the course supporting the TEAM. And finally, thanks to a great group of kids who not only put forth an outstanding effort on the course, but were also great in helping set up the course, officiate, and take clean up after the meet was over. You run your guts out, then get to run the course again to pick everything up. Bottom line: Thanks to everyone for helping make Region Championships a very successful meet.

TITANS FINISH SECOND IN REGION
For the second year in a row, both Boys and Girls TEAMS finished 2nd behind Davis High at the Region One Championships. From top to bottom, the nine-team region is probably the toughest in the state. To place that high took some great efforts from the entire TEAM. Over ½ of those running had their fastest mile average of the year, even when compared to the shorter courses. The efforts over the wet, 3-mile course were outstanding.
As usual, Hannah Williams led the Girls efforts. She ran a tough race to finish 3rd in 19:16. She was just behind Davis High’s Meghan Hedquist and Jessie Wilding. Taylee Hamblin moved up several places over the last mile to place 9th while running 19:45. Hannah and Taylee made the All-Region Team with their efforts. Kiana Tebbs had her best race of the year running 20:12 to place 15th. Mikelann Wilcox (18th, 20:27), Lindsey McFarland (22nd, 21:01), Shelby Cadwell (24th, 21:04) and Abby Rich (30th, 21:47) all ran strong races to help out the TEAM effort. While Davis easily won the meet, the Lady Titans had to run well to finish with 67 points, comfortably ahead of Fremont (96), Weber (101), and Viewmont (104).
The Boys race was equally impressive as the Titans finished with 75 points to outdistance rivals Weber (88), Viewmont (130) and Clearfield (149). The leaders were tightly packed over the first mile. Then Jake Rossmango made a bold “Prefontaine” move to forge a 10-second gap over the pack. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to hold the lead and finished 2nd to Davis’ Logan Petty. Jake’s time was 16:08- a gutsy performance to say the least. Austin Costley did not have his best race of the year but still finished 4th in 16:16. Not bad- have a “bad race” (his evaluation) and still finish 4th in a tough region. Both Jake and Austin were named to the All-Region Team. Preston Williams finished 21st in 17:07. This was 20-seconds slower than last year. Bad performance? NO WAY!! He found out the next day that he was running on a stress fracture in his lower leg. Just finishing was an incredible performance. He will miss State and be in a boot for a few weeks. Luckily, Jaxon Hansen (23rd, 17:08), Tyrell Pearce (25th, 17:13), Brandon Yardley (26th, 17:15) and Kyle Kelly (29th, 17:20) ran strong races to take up the slack. Without their strong efforts, Weber would have easily caught us.
Daylyn Johnston ran great in the Girls Junior Varsity race. She finished 11th in 22:12. Her time was good enough to have run varsity for any TEAM except Davis and Syracuse. Sasha Russell (21st, 21:09) and Haley Busby (23rd, 23:16) ran their best races of the year. Jessica Tomlinson, told by her Dr. not to run, didn’t listen and ran very strong to finish 36th in 24:42. Cambria Bitter (25:58) and Mckenna Peterson (27:47) had strong races to finish off the year.
Steve Wilcox had his best race of the year in the Boys Junior Varsity as he ran 18:04 to finish 18th. Dylan Rossmango had by far his best race of the season running 18:19 to place 24th. Matt Clough was just one spot behind finishing in 18:20. Weston Atkins, not on top of his game, ran very tough to place 30th in 18:29. Frank Owens (34th, 18:35), Brandon Hansen (36th, 18:37) and Parker Williams (43rd, 18:47) finished strong to help the Titan JV TEAM place 3rd. Thomas Hill (63rd, 19:02) and Julian Alvarez (64th, 19:03) paced each other to strong races. Grant Patterson (94th, 20:07), Lance Gossett (96th, 20:16), Spencer Griffin (111th, 20:58), Josh Flores (123rd, 21:36), and Gregg Marchant (140th, 22:51) ran very well to finish out their regular season. Complete results can be found at: www.titanxc09.blogspot.com.

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Selected as the Athletes of the Week were Kiana Tebbs, who had her best race of the year at Region (but has a better one coming up) and Steve Wilcox, who also had a great race and earned a spot on the State Championship squad.

STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS!!!!
The State Championships will take place Wednesday at Sugarhouse Park in Salt Lake. Directions: take I-15 south to I-80 east. Go east on I-80 then take the 13th east exit. Go north to 21st south. You can’t miss the park. Give yourself plenty of time to find parking- it is scarce. If you would like a map and information concerning the meet, go to the following link: http://www.uhsaa.org/bxcountry/2009/stateinfo.pdf The Girls are scheduled to run at 3:30, the Boys at 4:00. Athletes: You will be excused at 12:15 and the bus will leave at 12:30.
What to look for: In the Girls race, Davis should battle American Fork for the title. There are several teams that will be close for 3rd through about 8th. The Lady Titans should be one of those teams. For us to crack the top-5, we probably will need our first five to finish in the top-40. Individually, Davis’ Meghan Hedquist and Jessie Wilding, a couple girls from American Fork and our own Hannah Williams should compete for the top spots. And look for a rapidly improving Taylee Hamblin to be close to the top 10-15.
American Fork (ranked #12 in the nation) is easily the favorite in the boys team race. Davis should finish 2nd. Four other teams (Hillcrest, Pleasant Grove, Bingham and Alta) are ranked in the top-20 in the Southwest Region of the U.S. Skyline is also running very well. Cracking into the top-6 will take a supreme effort by the Titans. If we can get our top five to finish in the top-50, we have a shot at placing high. Individually, American Fork has three top runners along with one from Lone Peak and Alta. Our region has four-five who should battle for the top spots. And that list includes Jake Rossmango and Austin Costley. Both should compete for top-10 finishes.
State will be exciting. As far as Cross Country goes, it will be the last “hurrah” for some great seniors. They deserve to go out in a blaze of glory. Coaches prediction: The months of training, dedication and sacrifice will pay off in the best TEAM performance of the year. Knowing that you have prepared very well and have the support of your TEAM will give you the energy and confidence to run your best at State. GOOD LUCK!!!

PICTURE RETAKE
Due to some “technical difficulties”, we will re-take TEAM pictures Friday after school. Have your uniforms with you, cleaned, ready to turn in.

EXTRA SHIRTS
There are a few extra shirts and hoodies. If you are interested in buying them, first come, first served. Here is what I have:
Regular t-shirts ($10) 3-med, 3-large, 3-Xlarge
Long-sleeved t-shirts ($15) 2-med, 1-large
Long-sleeved dri-fit ($20) 1-med, 1-large
Hoodies ($30) 1-med, 1-large

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Wed, Oct 21 - State Championships @ Sugarhouse Park
Thur, Oct 22 - Ultimate Frisbee Workouts Begin
Fri, Oct 23 - TEAM Pictures after school