A Trip Up North for PRs

A Friday afternoon drive up to “Eagle Acres” always brings lots of excitement and energy. The Lakes Sunset Invite is a great chance to run a fast and competitive race and build confidence for Championship Season. Co-ed races make for an even more exciting atmosphere on the racetrack around Lakes High School.

The open race got the evening kicked off Alyssa Cuthbertson pushed the pace early on in the race and kept it going to come away nearly a 1 minute PR. She was followed closely in by Ashlynn Sabatini, who continues to drop time on her PR, as she dipped under 28 minutes for the first time. Vlad Montes closed out the race with a big PR as well.

The open race got the energy going for the night and the varsity runners kept it going. The first race for varsity was the silver, comprised of runners 6 through 10 on the team. The Wildcats had some very strong performances in this race. Ty Vitanovec ran an aggressive first mile and then kept the pedal down to run a big PR and break 18 minutes for the first time. Freshman, Joey Des Garennes was next in, with a 30 plus second PR and inching very close to a sub 18 time. Not to be out done by a fellow freshman, Noah DeLuna, dropped a big PR as well. The girls brought the same energy and saw great results. Emily Fannin led the way, breaking 22 minutes for the first time. Sophie Salkas battled strong, despite not feeling her best, and still managed a PR and a first time under 22 minutes. Kylie DeFano has been on a new level the last week and that paid off with another PR. Sam Norville absolutely smashed her PR, breaking the 24 minute barrier for the first time. Cynthia Velazquez rounded out the race with a big PR as well. The girls were 5 for 5 on PRs, not bad for a varsity race from all freshman and sophomores.

The final race of the night was the top 5 varsity runners. The pace was out hot early, but Ubaldo Rodriguez stuck his nose right in it. Ubaldo had a huge step in the right direction, with a 20 second PR, to run 15:38, one of the top times for the Wildcats in school history. Adrian Castillo works as hard as anyone on the team, and that worked paid off with a big season best, and a big step towards sub 17. Tyler Weir was able to notch a PR as the team’s number 4. Bridget Kemp took a risk and got out with an aggressive first mile, she was able to battle the final mile to run a season best. Brooke Rochacz gets better every race, and she dipped under 20 minutes for the first time. Lydia Velazquez matched her sister’s PR energy and was able to drop her best race of her career. A great sign heading into the Championship Season.

The team is back in action on Friday at the SPC Championships.