The End of the Season

A small but mighty crew made the short trip down 55 to Normal for the IHSA Sectional at Maxwell Park. The Wildcats had 2 girls and 1 boy who would be toeing the line with a chance to advance on to the IHSA State Finals.

Bridget Kemp and Brooke Rochacz were first up in the girls’ race. Brooke competing in her first Sectionals was not intimidated by the stage, she immediately shot out from the gun. Putting herself in a strong position very early in the race. She carried that pace through the mile, where she sat right on the edge of a position to qualify to state. Bridget was close behind, a more calculated start for the veteran of 4 Sectional races. Both girls continued on the pace through the 2^nd mile. Passing the 2^nd mile mark Brooke was still within striking distance of the last spot to qualify. Bridget was about 10 seconds back, but closing the gap with each stride. Both girls battled the whole way through the line on the day. Brooke came away with nearly a 20 second PR, just missing on state qualifying by 4 spots. Bridget came in just over 10 second later with yet another sub 19:30 race on the season. Consistency was the theme all year for Bridget, she was strong every time out. Despite not advancing on to next week, both girls ran great races, that they can both be proud of. Bridget has left an incredible mark on this program over the past 4 years. Brooke showed the competitor that she is and has a very bright future for the Wildcats.

Next up was Luke Adair in the boys race. Luke dealt with about 5 weeks of setback due to bronchitis. Missing that much time would spell the end for many athletes, but Luke battled back to qualify to the Sectional with a strong race at Regionals. He knew he could move on to State with a great race at Sectionals. He took his shot and it didn’t work out for him. He got out aggressive and in a good position, but at just past the halfway point in the race, the cumulative effect of missing training and racing reared its head. Luke had to fight his way to the finish, but he can be proud of the chance he took on the day. His transformation as a runner has been remarkable. From being a 24 minute 3 mile runner as a freshman to a sub 16 minute runner.

The season ended with no team or individual advancement to the State Finals. It will be an off-season to build on and come back strong next year.

To the seniors, thank you for everything you have meant to this program. In whatever you do, strive for continual improvement. #Kaizen