IHSA Class 1A Cross Country Regional Championship
hosted by Aurora Christian H.S.
Wow! Wow! Wow!
What a day! And this time I'm not talking about the weather (though I could be, because that was really nice too!). Two years ago (Walther's first year with Mr. Goffron as the XC coach), both the girls and the boys qualified for Sectionals as a team. The sad part about that day was that Mr. G was NOT able to be with us. (If you want to hear the whole story, go back to 2012's blog.) Both teams were in 7th place. Last year, we had one girl qualifier and the boys qualified as a team. That time they were in 6th place. Today, both our girls and boys teams qualified again for Sectionals, AND Mr. Goffron was present, AND both teams finished in 5th place! We are getting better every year.
A special honorable mention goes to our parents, who cheered the teams on, and especially to those parents who came yet did not even have a child running!!!!!
The Girls Varsity Race began at 10:00 a.m.
There were 78 runners total today.
GO BRONCOS!!!
Look closely and you'll see four of our five runners.
And now coming in toward the finish...
Lauren came in 7th overall, with a time of 19:39.9, almost 3 minutes faster than the last time she ran this course! This was her PR for the season. Great job, Lauren.
Ale and Jenny battled it out for 15th & 16th. Ale finished in 20:14.0, which is 19 seconds faster than her last time here, and Jenny finished in 20:15.1, also improving her time significantly at this course. Fantastic performance, girls!
As a side note, this is Ale's fourth qualification for Sectionals in her high school career, 3 times helping her team to do so, and one time qualifying as an individual. Way to finish up your Senior year, Ale!!!
Tamron did an amazing job! She achieved her all time PR for this year, and improved her time at this course by one minute 1:26. Wow! She was also a top 25 finisher!
Fighting a stomach bug did not stop Chloe. She also got her PR and improved her time at this course by 42 seconds, in spite of feeling poorly. Stupendous!!!
And now for the boys...
Do you like our "retro" look??
Can you see them on the other side of the brush???
There were 77 runners in the boys race.
Mitch & Jaylin coming around the first bend.
Luis, Jack & Kobe were not far behind.
Here's David, but somehow I missed Jacob.
(Sorry, Jacob!)
By the end of the first mile & a quarter, Luis had made his way into the first slot for our team. Jaylin was right behind him and Mitch and Jack were close by also.
Jacob was in the fifth spot at this time.
Followed by Kobe... ...and David.
The finish line...
Luis came in 19th place overall, finishing first for the team, with a time of 17:11.4. This was a PR for him. Great job, Luis!!!!
Jack was the next to cross the finish line for our team, coming in 24th, with a time of 17:25.5 This was also a PR for him. Superb!!
Jaylin was right behind him...literally! He came in 25th place with a time of17:33.5 This is a 15 second improvement from his last time on this course. Great job, Jaylin!
And Mitch was right behind Jaylin, in 26th place, finishing in 17:36.6. Way to stay together, guys!
David was our fifth finisher for the team, achieving another PR, finishing in 18:31.5. He finished in 45th place.
Jacob was not far behind (47th), and finished in 18:36.9.
Kobe fought through the pain, completing the course in 19:31.6.
Time to wait it out...
We enjoyed a special appearance today from Bryce Goffron.
And since it was Regionals, I guess it called for a variety of post-race treats!
Claudia seemed especially happy to have some donuts!
And of course, everyone had at least 2 desserts (or 3 or 4 or more!)
Demonstrating his ability to walk.
Waiting and wondering.
Receiving the envelope for team qualification for Sectionals.
Final Standings:
Place School Score
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1 Harvest Christian Academy 57
2 Montini 67
3 Westmont 69
4 Timothy Christian 98
5 Walther Christian 123
6 IC Catholic 131
7 Joliet Catholic Academy 180
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Final standings:
Place School Score
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1 Chicago Christian 48
2 Westmont 74
3 Harvest Christian Academy 80
4 Aurora Christian 112
5 Walther Christian 114
6 Timothy Christian 126
7 Lisle 214
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It's of interest to note that we were only 3 points away from being in 4th place. Impressive, girls!
Final words from a proud coach.
GO BRONCOS!
Everyone will need to get their PR's again in order for us to advance to State, but at the rate these kids are running, I'd say anything is possible!!!
See you all next week at Lisle High School.
