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3 PEAT FOR GROTON GIRLS
(by Groton Coach Scott Weeks) ...
November 2, 2001
The Groton Girls won their 3rd straight Section 4 Class D title at
Chenango Valley State Park. In the process, they just missed beating Class A Ithaca in a Merge by only 2 points. Ithaca is currently ranked 8th in New York State in Class A.
Coach Scott Weeks' stated that, "Relative to last year's team performances, we ran better here than we did last week at the IAC Championships. That, in itself is encouraging as we move on toward the State Meet. I feel that Erin Yaichuk had another good performance especially since she had
no one to run with in the middle. Lynne Vincent has been VERY consistent in her improvements over the past 3 weeks and her times are continually faster than last year. O'Konsky, Scogin, Mackenzie, & vanAlmelo had solid performances, but I don't feel that it is either what they are capable of nor was it one of their season bests."
The Groton girls scored 24 points in this State Qualifying effort. However, that is a bit misleading since Elmira Notre Dame Stand Out Molly Huddle took the top spot. Without Huddle in the mix, the Groton Girls would have scored an even more impressive 19 points with 6 girls placing in the top 10 spots.
Time Place
======= =====
Erin Yaichuk 19:44.5 2nd
Lynne Vincent 20:08.5 3rd
Katie OıKonsky 20:38.6 6th
Annie Scogin 20:40.8 7th
Becky Mackenzie 20:41.8 8th
Alida vanAlmelo 21:11.5 11th
Kari Gallow 23:46.2 20th
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Groton Girls Dominate IAC Field
(by Groton Coach Scott Weeks) ...
October 27, 2001 (at
Marathon)
Under intermittently snowy, cold, and windy conditions, the Groton Girls' Cross Country Team, for the third year in a row, showed their dominance over the Interscholastic Athletic Conference. These girls scored 24 points in this Overall League Championship. Still absent from the scoring team was Becky Mackenzie.
"At this point, we're picking our battles with Becky" said Coach Weeks.
When asked about how he felt about the team's performance as a whole, Weeks felt that,
"the girls looked the best I've seen them all year. We took a commanding control over the race. The girls knew there were some key individuals they needed to run against. As a team we set some goals and executed a plan to reach them. Our pack time continues to hover around a minute. With Erin Yaichuk (currently leading the team) continuing to improve, that means the team moves up as well. Lynne and Katie ran a tough 3rd/4th and that will help us as the season continues. Our
'ultra veteran' Annie Scogin ran her best ever performance on this course and
that's very exciting. Alida vanAlmelo continues to be a VERY solid 5th runner for us, and with her returning next year, that's very encouraging. Mary Prince and Amanda Esparza were our 6th and 7th runners in the absence of Becky and Kari Gallow (stomach illness.....flu). They also had their best performances of the year. Bottom line......Under less than favorable conditions, all of the girls ran much faster than their solid performances at the Marathon Invitational where they defeated Class A State Ranked Elmira South Side. I am very excited about our upcoming post season Championships. I know that the girls are as well."
Regarding some specifics over Becky Mackenzie's calf injury and her chances of competing Coach Weeks gave the following information: Mackenzie had a calf injury that left her calf muscle a bit weak causing a slight limp. Becky has no pain at this point (hasn't for about 2 weeks), and seems not to have a problem running fast. She did a nice workout last week; the limp almost disappears when she runs fast.
"The biggest thing I'm worried about is that she might injure something else with that slight limp" stated Weeks.
"Thatıs why we're being extra careful. Becky will have no problem running the State Qualifiers and any other meet we compete in after that. After taking her to see Jack Daniels, Ph.D. and a team of Biomechanists at Cortland State, I've set up a cross training routine which has her running, water running, biking, and doing calf raises. She's excited to get back in the mix with this group."
On the boys side, Groton placed 6th out of the 13 teams. Ben Hebdon was back on the scene following a
'fluke' back injury. "I was very impressed with Benıs performance considering he had taken 2 1/2 weeks off of running" stated Weeks.
"He showed some real guts." Ben was experiencing no back pain following his race.
"After he gets in some good training this week, he'll be ready to run some solid performances at the State Qualifiers and the State Meet" stated Coach Weeks.
The other Groton Boys also had some solid individual performances. Coach Weeks had this to say about the team,
"Matt Hebdon is coming on and that's very exciting. Andy Carey continues to run solid performances as does Kyle Gallow. Although all of the guys improved over the Marathon Invitational, Keith Roneker had the largest improvement with almost a minute. Our 6th guy, Dustin, also had his best performance of the season. There's no doubt in my mind that we will be a solid team at the State Qualifiers on Thursday. I think we might surprise some people."
Results:
Athlete Time Place
============== ===== =====
Molly Huddle 18:16 1 (Elmira ND) Course Record
Erin Yaichuk 20:07 2
Lynne Vincent 20:23 3
Katie O'Konsky 20:23 4
Annie Scogin 21:09 7
Alida vanAlmelo 21:19 8
Mary Prince 25:53 58
Amanda Esparza 26:28 64
Becky Mackenzie DNS
Kari Gallow DNS
Ben Hebdon 17:43 6
Matt Hebdon 18:14 13
Andy Carey 18:56 18
Kyle Gallow 20:18 53
Keith Roneker 20:33 56
Dustin Novitzki 21:56 71
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Whitney Point Invitational
(by Groton Coach Scott Weeks) ...
October 16, 2001
On a VERY windy Tuesday afternoon/
evening, the Groton Girls had a nice performance at the Whitney Point
Invitational as they easily won the Small School title. Despite
resting Becky Mackenzie (#1/ #2) and Annie Scogin (#4/ #5), the girls
scored 70 points to Class C Windsor's 108 points. When asked of his
reasoning for resting two of his best runners, Weeks said, "Mackenzie
has had some problems with her calf, and although she is not currently
having a problem with it, I felt that it was a simply safer to keep her
out. Scogin has been racing since late August so she and I agreed
that this would be a good time to lay off racing. Scogin always
comes on in the post season Championships; her best performance last year
was at the Footlocker Regionals." Annie added that, "I've
been very happy with my team's progress and accomplishments this season.
My team and I will be ready to race when it counts."
There's no doubt that this girls' team, now ranked #1 in the most
recent New York State polls, has some big goals for this Cross Country
season. Although each member was asked to comment on their
Championship Season Goals, NONE of them seemed willing to share their
thoughts. With smiles, they just looked at each other as if they all
knew what the others were thinking. "Youıd think it was top
secret" said Coach Weeks who admits to not even knowing the team's
plans and goals. "I just assume that with four seniors in the
top seven, they're going to run their hearts out in an attempt to leave
their mark."
The Boys' Squad was still missing top runner Ben Hebdon. "We
had some good performances from a couple of the guys" said Weeks.
Weeks' analysis was that, "Without Ben in there, we've been
able to put some pressure on the other guys to pick up some of the slack.
In my judgment, it has worked out well since most of the guys have
had some solid improvements." It is hoped that Hebdon can join
his team by early next week. Coach Weeks stated that, "I've
said it before, but I'll say it again, Ben is talented runner. He bounces
back from things like this quickly, and with a couple of days of pain-free
running, he'll be right back where he left off." Hebdon has
been doing much of his training in the pool.
Molly Huddle 18:25 1st (Elmira Notre Dame)
Erin Yaichuk 19:23 2nd
Lynne Vincent 19:50 4th
Katie O'Konsky 20:18 6th
Alida vanAlmelo 20:41 14th
Kari Gallow 22:22 44th
Mary Prince 25:22 104th
Matt Hebdon 18:06 18th
Andy Carey 19:10 53rd
Kyle Gallow 20:03 83rd
Keith Roneker 20:52 99th
Dustin Novitzki 21:34 111th
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Groton Ranked #1
(by Groton Coach Scott Weeks) ...
October 14, 2001
According to the most recent polls, the Groton Girls have earned their way to the top of the ranks in New York's Class D competition. "We must have really made an impression at the Marathon Invitational" stated Coach Weeks. This is truly and honor for the Groton Girls who have, according to Weeks, been striving for such an honor for a couple of years. "We will now need to prove that we deserve that ranking in the weeks to come" stated Weeks. "We have the talent, the dedication, the work ethic, and the heart to be State Champions" said Weeks. "It'll depend on how much these girls want it at the State Meet."
Marathon Invitational
(by Groton Coach Scott Weeks) ...
October 13, 2001
Once again, the Groton Squad had an impressive day of Cross Country as the girls ran to a Marathon Invitational Championship. The boys' team was missing top runner Ben Hebdon. He has been suffering from a slightly swollen disc in his lower back. When interviewed, Hebdon said, "I plan to be back running in a short time. Until then, I'm supporting my team as they continue to improve." Coach Scott Weeks felt that Ben will not have a problem in the Championship portion of the season. "Ben is a tough runner, and he'll back to challenge for a League and Sectional title."
The girls' team had Class A Elmira Southside to contend with in the Girls' Seeded Race. "It was a much closer race than I thought it would be" confessed Coach Weeks. "This Southside team has really come on since the beginning of the year. Their pack time was quite impressive and certainly a strength they will have in contending with Ithaca for the Section 4 Class A title" said Weeks. The Groton Girls also had their own impressive pack time of just over a minute. In comparison to the other Class D teams in the State, Groton's Pack time will be to their benefit as they contend for a State Class D title.
Coach Weeks felt that the Groton Squad had a "really good day." "The Girls have had a goal since the beginning of the season to win the Marathon Invitational. They ran hard and did just that. Although I don't think this was our best performance of the year, I think we had a really good day."
Weeks was asked about how he felt each of the girls ran. "I feel that Erin ran very well. She went right out after it early as did the whole team. Becky was only two days back from resting a calf injury and ran well considering her circumstances. Lynne Vincent set some goals early in the race, and I was impressed at how aggressive she was at accomplishing those goals. Annie Scogin and Katie O'konsky ran real hard, but had an off day. Still, they did what they needed to do to accomplish their team goal. Alida vanAlmelo was very aggressive early and I believe that led to her absolutely spectacular performance" (more than 2 minutes faster than last year).
IAC Division III Championships
October 9, 2001
The Groton Girls ran away with the IAC Division III Championship on Tuesday. The top 5 girls finishing all within 1 second showed not only their team strength, but also their team bond and discipline in the sport. "I wanted the girls to win as easy as they could" stated their Coach Scott Weeks. "We will be attending the Marathon Invitational on Saturday" Weeks said. "It is a meet weıve been keying up for, and we really want to run well there."
Baldwinsville Invitational :
(by Groton Coach Scott Weeks) ...
October 6, 2001
The Groton Girls and Boys Teams had some great efforts at the Baldwinsville Invitational this past weekend. The boys' team performance was expressed best by Ben Hebdon when he said, "My team is coming around!" After an outstanding performance by Hebdon himself, Coach Weeks felt that it was impressive that Ben's emphasis was on his team's best performance of the season. "I feel that this shows what a great leader and individual Ben is" expressed Coach Weeks.
The girls were missing Becky Mackenzie due to some calf 'achiness'. "I just felt that it would be best to sit Becky out for a meet and have her take a couple of days off of running just to be on the safe side" Weeks said. Groton still had one of their best, if not their best performance of the season. Groton held on to the top 5 spots in the race through the half mile mark. "I wanted them to take control of the race right from the gun" Weeks said. Groton did just that and made a statement with their efforts as Erin Yaichuk went on to win the race and Lynne Vincent taking a commanding Second overall. Coach Weeks feel that "These girls are bonding like a true team with common goals. I can only imagine what they will likely accomplish by season's end."
McQuaid Invitational :
(by Groton Coach Scott Weeks) ...
Genesee Valley State Park - September
29, 2001
The Groton Boys split into 3 different races at this year's
McQuaid Invitational. Coach Weeks felt that the team would be more successful and come away with more from this year's McQuaid experience if the team was split. Weeks had this to say about Groton's top runner, "I felt that Ben had a good shot in the Boys' Seeded Small School Race. He had a solid performance running 10 seconds faster than last season on a new course that even the McQuaid Staff felt was slower than last year." When asked about the other boys on the team, Weeks felt that they all had great races. As evidence, he stated that, "most of the veterans ran faster than last year and the overall team pack time was the smallest it's been all season on a regulation course."
The Groton Girls showed that they will be a force in the Small School competitions in New York State. With 4 girls under 20 minutes and 2 under 19, this should be a nice statement as to what this team will be capable of in the near future. Coach Weeks stated that, "these girls ran out of their minds today. Most of them ran faster than last year and some of them by a large margin." This happened to be Erin Yaichuk's first big race out after missing Auburn last week, and she definitely showed that she'll be a strong contributor to this year's team. Becky Mackenzie, for the second weekend in a row broke 19 minutes. When interviewed, she had this to say, "I couldnıt believe I broke 19 last week. I thought they (Auburn) messed up the watch or something. Now that I did it again, I'll just have to accept that I also did it last week." Annie Scogin, who's been a 'mainstay' since the beginning of Weeks' XC coaching career, once again showed that she'll back this team up with, not only her motivational leadership, but also her continued strong performances. When asked about the overall potential of this Groton team, Weeks would not comment, but seemed to feel that the team will continue to improve as a whole.
Katie O'Konsky was put in the Unseeded Girls' race because she had missed a fair amount of training in the past two weeks either not running at all, or when she did run, only ran real easy. She showed that her condition has certainly improved, and will be a Varsity Athlete at Baldwinsville next week.
When asked about Groton's race against Skaneateles, Weeks felt that, "Skaneateles is real tough up from and they're real deep as well. They're simply a solid team."
Varsity Boys Overall
Runner Time Race Finish
================ ======= ======== ======
Ben Hebdon 16:20.8 Seeded 13
Matt Hebdon 18:23.5 Sophomore 49
Andy Carey 18:20.0 Sophomore 43
Kyle Gallow 20:07.0 Unseeded 177
Keith Roneker 20:30.5 Sophomore 130
Dustin Novitzki 21:40.3 Sophomore 163
Seeded Girls' Race Finish
Runner Time Team Overall
================ ======= ==== =======
Erin Yaichuk 18:47.8 1 9
Becky Mackenzie 18:48.1 2 10
Lynne Vincent 19:36.6 3 19
Annie Scogin 19:47.6 4 23
Alida vanAlmelo 20:26.8 5 40
Kari Gallow 22:16.4 6 91
Meghan Hathaway DNF DNF DNF
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Auburn Invitational :
(by Groton Coach Scott Weeks) ...
September 22, 2001
The Auburn Invitational gave the Groton teams a sense of where they stand for the season. The
boys' team finished in the middle of about 17 teams. "I feel that we have lots of room for improvement as a team" Weeks stated. "We have a group of real hard working guys and that's what it takes in this sport."
The girls were missing Veterans Erin Yaichuk, Lynne Vincent, Brandey Hurchla (top 3 from last year), and Katie O'Konsky for
differing reasons. Weeks expects that all of them will be back next to race McQuaid next week. "We still had a strong showing missing 4 of our top 6 at this meet" Weeks felt. Coach Weeks also said, "When we put it all together, Iıll be very interested in what this team can do." Considering the improvements from those Groton Runners that did compete, Groton will surely be a team to watch this season.
Dual Meet @ Moravia @ Filmore Golf
Course (by Groton Coach Scott Weeks) ...
September 18, 2001
Boys
-------------- Team Scores
Ben Hebdon 17:47 2nd -----------
Matt Hebdon 20:05 11th Marathon 45
Andy Carey 20:40 15th Moravia 49
Kyle Gallow 21:24 20th Waverly 50
Keith Roneker 22:49 22nd Groton 70
Dustin Novitzki 22:51 23rd
Girls
--------------- Team Scores
Becky Mackenzie 22:16 2nd -----------
Erin Yaichuk 22:16 3rd Groton 21
Annie Scogin 22:16 4th Waverly 55
Lynne Vincent 22:16 5th Moravia 68
Alida vanAlemelo 23:05 7th Marathon 88
Meghan Hathaway 25:07 12th
Kari Gallow 25:07 13th
Mary Prince 29:26 21st
Mandy Esparza 30:53 23rd
Brandey Hurchla DNR DNR
Katie O'Konsky DNR DNR
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On the boys side, Ben Hebdon ran an outstanding race! He 'cruised' to a time that is 41 seconds faster than last year on this course. He is looking good right now and will likely take care of business at the Auburn Invitational this coming Saturday. Andy Carey and Keith Roneker had the biggest improvements running almost 2 minutes and 5 minutes faster than last year on this course. "Both Andy and Keith are a very hard workers and it definitely shows in their performances and continued improvements." Dustin is a newcomer this year and will certainly help out our team this season.
On the girls' side, Mackenzie, Yaichuk, Scogin, and Vincent all ran together in this race using it as a key-up workout for the Auburn Invitational this Saturday. They all ran at least 50 seconds faster than last year on this same course. Alida vanAlmelo has been ill for a couple of days. Otherwise, I think she could have run with the top 4 runners here. Meghan Hathaway and Kari Gallow also cruised the race together. Mandy Esparza and Mary Prince had good races for being new athletes. I would expect large improvements from them in the meets to follow.
Susquehanna Valley Invitational :
(by Groton Coach Scott Weeks) ...
September 8, 2001
Boys
-----------
Ben Hebdon Junior/Senior Small School Race 14:39 2nd
Matt Hebdon Fresh/ Soph Small School Race 16:00 4th
Andy Carey Fresh/ Soph Small School Race 16:53 9th
Kyle Gallow Fresh/ Soph Small School Race 18:29 17th
Dustin Novitzki Fresh/ Soph Small School Race 18:49 22nd
Keith Roneker Fresh/ Soph Small School Race 18:49 23rd
Girls
------------
Becky Mackenzie Varsity Girls Small School Race 17:56 1st
Erin Yaichuk Varsity Girls Small School Race 17:56 2nd
Annie Scogin Varsity Girls Small School Race 17:56 3rd
Lynne Vincent Varsity Girls Small School Race 18:20 6th
Alida vanAlemelo Varsity Girls Small School Race 18:27 8th
Katie O'Konsky Varsity Girls Small School Race 19:33 11th
Megan Hathaway Varsity Girls Small School Race 20:05 14th
Kari Gallow JV Girls Race 20:48 8th
Amanda Esparza JV Girls Race 25:17 28th
Mary Prince JV Girls Race DNF DNF
Brandey Hurchla Did Not Run DNR DNR
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The Groton Cross Country Teams attended the Susquehanna Valley Invitational on Saturday, September 8th. This is an early invitational that Coach Weeks finds to be very valuable. "The kids like the course for one. Also,
they've been training for at least 3 weeks and are 'biting at the bit' to race."
The boys' team was split into 2 separate races. "There's such a difference between Ben and the rest of the group. I could have moved the Freshman and Sophomores to the Junior/ Senior Race, but felt that they would be more
competitive in their own age group race" said Weeks. Coach Weeks also commented that "The team is young aside from Ben and will continue to improve. I predict that we will be competitive in the league this year, and along with the Modified coming up next year, we will be very good for the next couple of years to come."
The girls were also put into two separate races. However, the top seven girls were put into the
Varsity Small School Race. "I was happy with our performances for the most part. Some of the girls have some work to do (that didnıt get done in the Summer), and once that happens and we're complete, I'm optimistic that we can, once again, make a run at a Class D State Title" said Weeks.
When asked about the teams as a whole, Weeks had this to say, "These are the hardest working and most dedicated group of kids I've ever worked with. Keith Roneker has improved by more than 2 minutes in his races over last year due to the running he did in the Summer. Alida vanAlmelo, who didn't make the top 7 last year, is now a strong runner on an even more competitive team this year. This is also due to the running she did this past Summer. I only hope that some
of the younger athletes follow suit in the future."
November 3, 2000 Update:
(by Groton Coach Scott Weeks) ...
Section 4 Championships
Chenango Valley State Park
November 2, 2000
The Boys and Girls from Groton came away double winners once again making Groton History. Never before in
Groton's past have they qualified 2 teams for the New York State Championships in any one season. Certainly it has never been done in the same year with the same sport. However, these two teams seemed on a mission to set a new precedent for excellence at their Alma Matter. Coach Weeks had this to say regarding the impressive showing, "I knew it was possible for both of these teams to qualify for the State Meet, but when it finally becomes reality,
it's an awesome feeling."
The girls were the first race to go off at 11:15. From the beginning, they set a nice pace at the front of the pack. Not concerned about the one runner that took it out about 20 meters ahead of everyone else in the first half mile, the Groton girls reassured each other that this runnerıs lead would not last. This held true as Brandey Hurchla took over the race just after the half way mark of the race. "Brandey took a confident lead with Liz Vinson from Marathon trailing in second for a while. Brandey's a tough runner in the second half of any race. I feel that she's a tough runner in the beginning as well, but she's not been tested yet this year" emphasized Weeks. When interviewed following her race, Brandey said, "I just wanted to follow the team plan. I wanted to win the race, and the plan Coach Weeks set out for us worked out well." Weeks nearby also emphasized that the trio of Scogin, Yaichuk, and Mackenzie also followed the plan by just 'cruising' in as a team and saving their big race for next week when it really counts.
When asked of his team's chances at the state meet, Coach Weeks had this to say, "in the past 3 weeks of racing with the exception of the Marathon Invitational where we didn't have our best team showing, our 5th girl has not placed any worse than 7th place in major invitationals. I feel that that makes a statement to us and to other teams." As well it should! If anyone has watched this team in action in the past three weeks .... even at the Marathon Invitational, they know that this team looks very impressive. With a pack time that's been consistently well under a minute and a front runner who's a threat to win the State Meet, this team will certainly be a team to watch.
The boys team saw Sam Mackenzie take a commanding lead with a half mile to go. He never looked back as he ended up winning the race by a comfortable margin. Mackenzie had this to say following his race, "the race played out in my favor. By running a smart race, I was able to use my strengths strategically and pull off a win." When asked of the specifics of his strengths, he felt that it was best to save that information for after the State Meet.
Coach Weeks felt that Groton was the favorite going into this race. "I felt that we could beat Afton with a descent race from all of the team members. We had good races and came away with the Championship" stated Weeks. Afton had other plans however. They went out hard trying to get away from Groton early and maintain a solid team lead. Going into the 3rd mile, Afton had 5 runners in front of Groton's 5th and 6th with the other places being very close. "We won the race in the last mile" stated Weeks. With a mile to go, the race could have gone either direction. "With a little soul searching and some real team heart and pride, my guys picked up about 10 spots in the last mile. Afton could have done the same and won the race, but these boys have wanted this win like no other Iıve seen" emphasized Coach Weeks.
Once again, Coach Weeks was asked about his team's chances at the State Meet. "I feel that if they run a race like they did today, weıll be tough to beat. They had a lot of heart and a lot of pride and that says a lot in the middle of a race. I predict that we'll be in the top 2 in the state. It will be close scoring, and the champion will be determined by who wants it the most."
Varsity Boys Time Finish Varsity Girls Time Finish
=============== ===== ====== =============== ===== ======
Sam Mackenzie 16:43 1 Brandey Hurchla 19:22 1
Ben Hebdon 16:57 4 Lynne Vincent 20:21 4
Mike Adsitt 17:31 9 Erin Yaichuk 20:39 5
Matt Hebdon 18:12 17 Annie Scogin 20:39 6
Andy Carey 18:34 21 Becky Mackenzie 20:39 7
Josh Hildreth 18:42 22 Katie O'Konsky 20:57 9
Justin vanAlmelo 20:31 47 Kari Gallow 21:37 12
Boys Class D Team Score Girls Class D Team Score
======================= ========================
Groton 52 Groton 23
Afton 71 Marathon 51
Marathon 82 Tioga 95
Tioga 97 Moravia 140
Moravia 120
Walton 161
Odessa Montour 174
Unatego 210
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October 29, 2000 Update:
(by Groton Coach Scott Weeks) ...
Groton XC... Simply Impressive @ the IAC!!!
October 28, 2000
On a cold, windy, miserable, October day in Marathon, the Groton Cross Country teams would accomplish something completely unexpected by Coach Weeks. Both the Boys' and Girls' teams came away the 2000 IAC Overall Champions. "I expected that the girls would win, but the boys' win came as a complete and pleasant Surprise" Weeks stated. Coach Weeks also had the following comments, "I would have expected that our girls were the favorites to win, but I felt that the Thomas Edison boys would have been the team to bet on. Like I emphasized to my boys, I don't doubt (their) abilities. I am simply a realist, and Edison has looked very tough for the latter half of this season. This is one of the few opportunities that this Groton boys' team has competed complete, and I guess I just didn't realize their full potentials. Missing certain individuals throughout the season made our performances inconsistent and simply unpredictable."
This marks only the 4th time ever in the Interscholastic Athletic Conference (IAC) that the same school has won both the Boys' and Girls' Overall Championship in the same year. Three of those 4 times have been by Groton.
The girls showed impressive dominance of the league taking 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th places for an almost perfect score of 17 points. "For the last three meets, we've had a team plan going into the meet that we've stuck to, and it's simply paid off very well" Weeks stated.
The boys also had a team strategy going into the meet. Top runner Sam Mackenzie had this to say about their plan, "Our strategy going in was to do what it took to win." All of the Groton boys set personal bests on the course en route to what will probably be considered their best team performance of the season.
Being that this is the time of the season that counts the most for the Cross Country runner, Coach Weeks was asked to comment on his philosophies of peaking runners. He had this to say, "I don't believe in 'peaking' as it is loosely used by many. The idea behind 'peaking' is that you reach a peak, run very well, and then, without choice, your performances will gradually decrease in quality. I simply donıt
believe in that jargon. I've personally seen athletes compete at a high level for weeks prior to a decrease in performances, which, truth be known, is probably simply due to some sort of mental 'burn-out' rather than the typical assumed physical problem. I believe that you can schedule training so that the runner runs at his/her best capability at certain times of the season. I believe that it's simply a matter of what I call, 'resting and racing'." According to Coach Weeks, almost all of the Groton Varsity boys and girls had their personal bests on Marathonıs course today probably proving that his 'rest and race' theory holds some truths.
Varsity Boys Time Place Varsity Girls Time Place
================ ===== ===== =============== ===== =====
Sam Mackenzie 17:20 2 Brandey Hurchla 20:11 1
Ben Hebdon 17:32 5 Lynne Vincent 20:43 2
Mike Adsitt 17:58 8 Erin Yaichuk 20:48 3
Matt Hebdon 18:23 15 Annie Scogin 21:00 5
Andy Carey 19:31 40 Becky Mackenzie 21:07 6
Josh Hildreth 19:34 42 Katie O'Konsky 21:23 9
Justin vanAlmelo 20:47 69 Kari Gallow 22:05 16
Alida vanAlmelo 22:42 21
Beth Loparco 25:16 61
Brandy Wright 26:21 74
IAC Boys Team Score IAC Girls Team Score
==================== ====================
Groton 70 Groton 17
Thomas A Edison 85 Marathon 102
Trumansburg 87 Waverly 124
Lansing 103 Newark Valley 133
Marathon 152 Watkins Glen 152
Southern Springs 152 Thomas A Edison 181
Moravia 174 Trumansburg 194
Tioga 177 Tioga 220
Newark Valley 214 Moravia 344
Watkins Glen 239 Southern Springs 348
O-M 304
***All other Teams are Incomplete
|
October 23, 2000 Update:
(by Groton Coach Scott Weeks) ...
Marathon Invitational
10/21/2000
The Groton Cross Country Teams attended the
Marathon Invitational with mixed goals. The Boys would be missing
Mike Adsitt (#3) and Josh Hildreth (#5). After a stellar performance
at Whitney Point, it would be disappointing to be missing 2 of their top
5. However, those remaining from their top seven squad including
Mackenzie, Hebdon, Hebdon, Carey, and vanAlmelo attempted to take care of
business on the individual scene. However, for some unforeseen
reason, none of these young men would reach a goal on this day that would
satisfy their expectations to run well. When interviewed concerning
his race, Sam Mackenzie simply stated that, "well, weıre bound to have a
bad race, and if today is that day, well.....itıs better than next week.
We might as well get it out of our systems now." Coach Weeks
feels that the team has shown more potential than what was shown at
Marathon. "Theyıll step up to the plate when it counts" was the
analogy Weeks used concerning his boys' post season potential.
The Groton Girls looked very impressive at this
meet especially in the beginning and middle of the race. People
seemed to be taken by Groton's Dominance which was shown when, at the
mile mark and still at the mile and a half mark, they had 4 of the top 5
runners in this very competitive race which had Section 4's top 3 Class A
teams. Groton's dominance seemed to slip away shortly there after
when one of their runners dropped from the race. At that time, their
lead pack (the top 4 still together) seemed to dissolve. When asked
about what might have happened at this point in the race, Coach Weeks
stated that, "after talking with the three who did finish, two of them
felt that they lost their focus when their teammate dropped from the
race."
"Unfortunately, when you run a team race like this, with the plan
that we had which was to run together at the front, and especially with
young athletes, it only takes one major fallout to potentially cause the
others to lose their focus concerning the task that is really at
hand."
When asked about how he thinks that his team will handle this
disappointment, Weeks simply stated that, "we'll talk about it in
practice on Monday and take care of any concerns both on a team basis and
on an individual basis." Weeks alluded to the fact that, in this
sport of Cross Country Running, a coach needs to try to, not just pay
attention to the physical training, but also put some emphasis on the
psychological realm as well. "This is a great team with great
potentials and the best is still to come for them" emphasized Weeks.
Certainly, and with no doubt, Groton's highlight
of the meet was the individual win by #1 runner Brandey Hurchla. Still
a Freshman, Brandey ran 8 seconds faster than Heather Iatauro (4th at the
State Meet Class C/D in 1998, 3rd in 1999, and undefeated this year) who
won the unseeded race. Concerning her performance,
Weeks stated that, "Brandey is just beginning to gain the confidence she
needs to run at the front of any race. She feels that she will run a
better race if she gets out fast with the leaders, and I certainly agree.
Her potentials are limitless." When asked about Brandey
talents as a runner, Weeks said, "I've known since she was a Modified
runner that she's got some special running talent. I, however, feel
very strongly that she'll progress at her own pace. I have not
pushed her to this point, and don't plan to any time in the near future.
As a Freshman front runner, whatever she gives us in the way of
performances, weıll be happy with."
October 18, 2000 Update:
(by Groton Coach Scott Weeks) ...
WHITNEY POINT INVITATIONAL
October 17, 2000
The Groton Cross
Country Teams attended the Whitney Point Invitational on Tuesday, October
17. In what was scheduled to be a team workout, both teams came away
as the overall champions. Up against top teams like Union Endicott,
the Groton Girls took on the challenge with a plan that allowed them to
run the final two miles of the race very easily and still score only 17
points in an invitational that showed 25 schools. Groton's top 5
scoring places were 1,2,3,5,6. Coach Weeks said, "part of our
plan was to run as a team, and with a team gap of less than a minute, we
did just that." Both Hurchla and Vincent shared the overall win
in a showing of team unselfishness that tends to make good teams even
stronger. Mackenzie and Scogin also shared the 5/6 spot. Weeks
had this to say about his team's overall performance, "We used this
meet as a test for a new team racing strategy, and it worked out
perfectly. The girls are very confident with the new strategy, and
after an almost perfect score, they should be." This is
certainly Groton's best performance of the season which shows that the
season's training is really coming together.
The Groton boys had their best team performance of
the season at Whitney point as well. Because they don't plan on
being complete at Marathon this coming Saturday, they decided to use this
Invitational as a solid Team effort. The boys came away with an
Invitational win scoring 76 points to second place Windsor's 91 points.
Individual standouts included Sam Mackenzie who, after taking two
wrong turns while leading the race, lost by less than a second. When
asked what he thought about Mackenzie's performance, Weeks exclaimed,
"This kid is really looking tough, and I think he's capable of
anything in the post season. A guy who's run sub 2 in the 800 and is
also a strong distance runner will be tough to beat." Weeks
feels that Mackenzie is working hard and doing all the right things to
prepare himself for the the conclusion of his final High School Cross
Country Career. When interviewed, Junior, Ben Hebdon reported that
he has his sights set on running with Mackenzie in the final championship
meets of the season. Coach Weeks feels that Ben, being the more
experienced distance runner over Mackenzie, is capable of doing just that
if he sets him mind on it.
Varsity Boys Time Finish Varsity Girls Time Finish
============ ==== ==== ============== ===== ======
Sam Mackenzie 17:00 2 Brandey Hurchla 20:07 1
Ben Hebdon 17:13 4 Lynne Vincent 20:07 2
Mike Adsitt 17:45 8 Erin Yaichuk 20:24 3
Matt Hebdon 18:06 14 Becky Mackenzie 21:04 5
Josh Hildreth 48 Annie Scogin 21:04 6
Andy Carey 57 Kari Gallow 21
Justin vanAlmelo 99 Alida vanAlmelo 42
Beth Loparco 88
Brandy Wright 89
Katie O'Konsky DNF
Varsity Boys Varsity Girls
School Place / Pts. School Place / Pts.
============== ==== ============= ===
Groton 76 Groton 17
Windsor 91 Sidney 104
Maine Endwell 120 Unetego 139
Chenango Forks 140 Newark Valley 154
Newark Valley 209 Windsor 164
Afton 210 Maine Endwell 196
Union Endicott 210 Watkins Glen 213
Chenango Valley 241 Marathon 219
Whitney Point 241 Union Endicott 238
Delhi 266 Susquehanna Valley 243
Sus. Valley 287 Oneonta 250
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October 16, 2000 Update:
(by Groton Coach Scott Weeks) ...
BEAVER RIVER INVITATIONAL
OCTOBER 14, 2000
The Groton boys were missing their #1 runner (Sam Mackenzie) due to SATs. Coach Weeks felt that Sam would have placed about 3rd which would have given them about 120 pts. and probably 5th place. Certainly, they would have beaten Beaver River again. #4 runner, Matt Hebdon had a bad fall in the first 50 meters of the race. He was thrown to the ground by his brother Ben. Coach Weeks was quoted as saying, "man, I donıt know how much longer I can tolerate this sibling rivalry." Overall, the Groton boys had a fine showing. They now have Senior Josh Hildreth back in the mix. "If he can stay healthy and with us for the remainder of the season, we can be a threat to win the State Title" said Coach Weeks.
Speaking of the other Male runners in the race, Weeks felt that Tim Scarpinato of the Beaver River team had a nice showing. He had this to say, "This kid is a talent and a competitor. He'd just run a sub 4:45 mile in P.E. the day before. Who runs that fast in Gym class? What a great attitude. Trained, Rested, and Race Ready, this guy will be a threat to win the individual State Title. He's definitely one to watch."
The girls also had their share of misfortune in the Girls Varsity race. Shortly after the mile, #2 runner Lynne Vincent fell in the woods and was unable to finish the race. Shortly following this event, #3 runner Becky Mackenzie, in her attempt to alert a Groton parent, tripped over a root herself and experienced a rough fall. Mackenzie was able to finish. Both Vincent & Mackenzie came away with their share of battle wounds. At the finish, Freshman Mackenzie, speaking (or was is growling?) for the two, was quoted as saying,
"grrrrrrr.....these (the wounds) are our bragging rights." Coach Weeks responded with, "whatever pumps you up.......just be ready for Sectionals and States." Weeks felt that the Groton Girls had a strong race at certain points, but were weaker in others. When asked about how he felt about his teamıs performance, Coach Weeks said, "After a short conference with the team, weıve figured out what we need to do from here on out to strengthen our weaknesses. I feel we need to work on our racing strategies and our execution of them. The girls feel that they need some changes in their training to better prepare them for the tougher races." Although Weeks was willing to say that he agreed with the girls and they agreed with him, he was unwilling to divulge any details. I guess weıll have to just wait and see how this team progresses for the remainder the season.
Groton was missing their #2 runner (Lynne Vincent) due to a fall in the race. She would have placed about 5th which would have given us about 42 pts. and very much closer to Beaver River.
Beaver River Invitational Results:
Groton Girls Overall Finish Beaver River Girls
=============== ============== ================== ===========
Brandey Hurchla 18:37.1 2 Adrienne Gagner 18:52.0 3
Erin Yaichuk 19:58.4 10 Julie Emery 18:52.5 4
Becky Mackenzie 20:13.9 12 Lauren Moser 18:59.0 5
Annie Scogin 20:13.9 13 Danielle Buzzell 19:19.6 6
Katie O'Konsky 20:25.1 15 Michelle Golden 20:43.3 21
Kari Gallow 21:28.8 29 Holly Zehr 21:06.4 25
Alida vanAlmelo 21:47.0 33 Jolene Munger 21:21.3 28
Beth Loparco 24:05.0 62 Kisa Ruiz 21:39.6 30
Lynne Vincent DNF Cassandra Zehr 22:15.0 40
Varsity Girls
School Place Pts.
============ ===
Beaver River 39
Groton 52
South Lewis 127
Frontier 136
Saranac Lake 143
Norwood-Norfolk 167
Clinton 197
Gouverneur 242
Carthage 308
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October 15, 2000 Update: (by Groton Coach Scott Weeks) ...
IAC Division III Cross Country
Championships
STONEHEDGES Golf Course, Groton
October 12, 2000
Groton Cross Country had their IAC Divisional Championships on Thursday, October 12. On the boys side, Ben Hebdon, Mike Adsitt, and Matt Hebdon did not race so that they could be ready for the Beaver River Invitational on Saturday. As a team, they felt that the big invitational on Saturday was more important and that they would concentrate on the IAC Overall Championship in 2 weeks. Sam Mackenzie, who will take the SATs on Saturday instead of running Beaver River, ran his last ever home meet with passion and came away the IAC Division III Individual Boy's Champion. Coach Weeks felt that Sam had an outstanding race and a very nice showing for his last appearance at his home course. Sam is considering attending Havorford as a Freshman.
The Girls team, with the exception of Brandey Hurchla, all toed the line. However, they ran it as a team tempo run and still won the Championship with relative ease. Annie Scogin, speaking for the top four Groton girls at this meet (Vincent, Scogin, Mackenzie, Yaichuk) was quoted as saying, "we felt SO good running this as a tempo and were only 20 seconds out of 1st place. We are pumped to run the IAC Overalls. Our team is SO ready to run the end of this season." When asked by Coach Weeks why she didn't run with her teammates at this meet like she did at the Baldwinsville Invitational, Freshman Katie O'Konsky said with a smile and a laugh, "But Mr. Weeks, you said to run easy." Coach Weeks was seen taking a triple dose of Ibuprofen only 2 minutes later. Katie was only a few seconds behind her teammates. Newcomer Kari Gallow and veteran Alida vanAlmelo were unavailable for comment.
October 2, 2000:
Groton results from the McQuaid Invitational held on Sept.
30
(by Groton Coach Scott Weeks) ...
Conditions were Perfect (Perfect Temp., no wind, no rain, clear skies).
In a seeded small school race that was a memorial for Beaver River runners Mike Ardison and Dereck Farney, the Groton Boys decided to wear ribbons in their memory.
"It's kind of a XC tribute to fallen heros" was one of the statements made in regards to the ribbons.
Groton placed well enough to get themselves a 5th place ranking in the state Class D Polls. Although their race was not a memorial, the Groton Girls also felt that they needed to pay tribute to Ardison and Farney by wearing ribbons in their race as well.
Groton was beaten by the Beaver River team who had a real tough top 3 showing. Coach Weeks had this to say about the Beaver river Performance,
"This is the best showing Iıve seen by the Beaver River Girls this season. They packed in 3 girls better than Iıve seen them do all year. They will be tough to beat from here on
out." In consideration of an outstanding pack time, Coach Weeks felt that the girls' performace was a good one. Becky Mackenzie continues to improve by very large margins. Alida vanAlmelo has also come on very strong in the past 2 weeks while Annie Scogin, Brandey Hurchla and Katie OıKonsky continue to improve consistently. Erin Yaichuk had another stellar performance considering this is only her 2nd big meet ever. Lynne Vincent had her strongest top team placing ever, and that will be a critical factor for the Groton Girls' squad. Every one of the Groton girls who ran McQuaid last year, had outstanding improvements over last year's
performance.
Team scores listed below are scored prior to runners of incomplete
teams being removed. Team places remained the same however.
Seeded Boys Race (Small Schools) Seeded Girls' Race (Sm/Med Sch)
================================ ==============================
Girard, OH 97 Honeoye-Falls Lima 72
HFL 194 Skaneateles 72
St. Vincent/St. Mary 200 Beaver River 119
North East 212 Groton 160
Skaneatles 223 Walsh Jes. 227
McDowell 225 West Allegheny,PA 247
Addison 243 South Jefferson 231
Starpoint 255 Waterloo 244
TAE 258 Newark 307
Eisenhower 271 McDowell, PA 328
Groton 279 Alden 329
Groton Boys Groton Girls
========================= =========================
Sam Mackenzie 16:20 Lynne Vincent 19:11
Ben Hebdon 16:30 Brandey Hurchla 19:14
Mike Adsitt 16:36 Becky Mackenzie 19:26
Matt Hebdon 17:25 Erin Yaichuk 19:49
Josh Hildreth 18:09 Annie Scogin 20:01 **
Andy Carey 18:26 Katie OıKonsky 20:26
Justin vanAlmelo 20:20 Alida vanAlmelo 21:05
Kari Gallow 21:21
** 50 second pack time
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September 25, 2000:
Groton results from the Auburn Invitational held on Sept. 23
(by Groton Coach Scott Weeks) ... Groton will be competing at the
McQuaid Invitational next week end.
Conditions (at Auburn) were terrible. Very Wet and considerable wind. Kids loved the conditions with the exception of the T-Storms.
Boys Team Results Girls Team Results
================= ==================
Skaneateles 60 Skaneateles 24
Groton 89 Groton 33
Onondaga 92 TA Edison 91
TA Edison 132 T-Burg 97
Weedsport 181 Lafayette 153
Moravia 195 Fabius Pompey Inc.
Cato-Meridian 209 Sandy Creek Inc.
Lafayette 225
CBA 254
Myderse 255
Watkins Glen 352
Gorton Runner Time Team Finish Overall Finish
=============== ===== =========== ==============
Brandey Hurchla 20:25 1 3
Lynne Vincent 20:40 2 5
Erin Yaichuk 21:16 3 7
Annie Scogin 21:24 4 8
Becky Mackenzie 21:26 5 10
Katie O'Konsky 22:06 6 12
Kari Gallow 23:07 7 14
Alida vanAlmelo 22:59
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Comments:
Erin Yaichuk ran her first XC race ever and certainly did a nice job doing it. She and the new Freshman are still Learning the sport of Varsity XC. Becky Mackenzie has really stepped up to assume a solid varsity
position. Running with Veteran Annie Scogin, she shows that sheıs not intimidated by experienced and accomplished runners. Katie OıKonsky continues to perform well on the varsity scene, but struggles with race day cramps. Top runner Brandey Hurchla has still yet to get in a consistent routine of training due to underlying circumstances, but still continues to show her talents and new
aggressiveness on the XC course. Lynne Vincent has certainly assumed a strong 'front running' attitude and her performances have showed it. Kari Gallow and Alida vanAlmelo continue to emphasize Grotonıs depth with their consistent and impressive early season performances.
September 11, 2000:
the following write-up was sent by Groton Coach Scott Weeks ... I
(the webmaster) really appreciate Coach Weeks' effort in sending this
information ... I also want to congratulate Groton on having an
outstanding team (good luck Annie S.).
The Groton Cross Country Teams competed in the
Susquehanna Valley Invitational on Saturday September 9. In an impressive score of 29 points, the girlsı team easily won the small school division of the meet. Their top 7 places were 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11. If the times were plugged into the Large school race, Groton would have only lost to Elmira South Side by a very small margin. On this note, Groton is showing to be one of the top teams in all of Section 4 Cross Country. This yearıs team is being led by a very strong trio of Annie Scogin, Brandey Hurchla, and Lynne Vincent. Two new Frosh additions, Becky
Mackenzie and Katie OıKonsky rounded out the strong top 5 at the Sus. Valley Invite. A late addition of an additional Junior will make Groton easily the strongest team ever. In addition, last yearıs top 5 runner, Alida vanAlmelo, is easily running her best Cross Country ever and had a 6/7 place showing at the Invitational. Another new Junior addition, Kari Gallow, who is one of Grotonıs top 3000 meter runners, also made a strong stand at Susquehanna Valley with a 6/7 showing.
Coach Weeks had this to say about the squad and what he observed at their first Invitational: Vincent, Hurchla, and Scogin are, as always, tough as nails in training and in racing. Mackenzie and OıKonsky, only a little over a minute behind our top 3, are just learning to race the 5K distance that is Varsity Cross Country. They will improve rapidly. Gallow and vanAlmelo each had a small physical ailment which slowed them in the race. However, they still managed to be the very next two places behind the two new Freshman. It was easily the smartest and most impressive team race Iıve ever seen run by a high school team. AND.....itıs still early. These girls had a plan prior to the race and they executed it to near perfection.
According to Coach Weeks, Grotonıs strongest asset is their team Cohesion and their willingness to run together in packs of 2, 3, and even 4. Itıs tough to beat a squad who runıs together and supports each other in the beginning, middle, and at the end of the race. This type of team racing will make us very strong. Iıve never seen a team bond like this, and Iım very interested and excited to see what will come of it.
Following a dual meet against Moravia and Marathon, Groton will compete at the Auburn Invitational.
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