Niagara Association Championships - Park Station
SOAR hosted the (very small) 2021 Niagara Association Cross Country Championships! A mix of lingering COVID concerns, a lack of qualifying time requirements at the national meet, and most likely some late advertising led to a very small field. We only had 3 non-SOAR runners attend, along with 14 SOAR runners. However, it was a perfect morning for cross country, and the courses Coach Duane and Coach Brett put together were both fun and challenging. The official USATF results for those with active memberships are at this link, and the full results are below.
8U 2k Race. Unattached runner Lillian Shine took the overall win, with a time of 10:36. Our Violet Miller was right behind her in 10:53 for a 2k PR. Flynn Saxton finished in third with a time of 14:24.
9-10 3k Race. This race was all SOAR. Abby Wagner won overall in a time of 13:40. Burke took second overall and first for the boys right behind her in 13:45. These two went back and forth all race. Charlie Wukovitz was next in 15:54, and Evalyn Pipe finished in 22:09.
11-12 3k Race. This one was also all SOAR. Bella Beres finished first overall and also for the girls in 13:32. James Lovell won for the boys, in 15:32. He was followed by Ben Collins in 16:42 and Pierce Terwilliger in 20:20. Kassidy McNeill rounded out the girls in 20:44.
13-14 4k Race. This was a step up for the SOAR athletes, after running the 3k all season. We had two unattached runners in this one, and they took 1-2. Trent Thibault won in 15:46 and Samuel Gwitt ran 18:26. They were followed by the three SOAR runners: Abdiel Basabakwinshi in 19:31, Sam Collins in 21:59, and Gabe Cowan in 24:27.
Next up for a few of these runners is the Nike Regionals Youth Race, and then on to Kentucky for the National Championships!
AOC Invitational - Gwynedd Mercy Academy
James and Abby took a trip down to Philadelphia to compete in the annual AOC meet. Both had impressive races, with PRs to prove it. Abby ran in the 9-10 age group 3k, placing 6th overall and winning for the girls with a big PR of 12:39. James was in the 11-12 race, placing 6th overall and 4th for the boys with a time of 12:44. This was a great experience for the two of them.
Sept 2021 XC Series - Big Flats Community Park
We had 25 runners at out second meet of the year. There were several first-racers, plus some CPP Cross Country athletes. And a few PRs!
2k Race. Noah Schmieg (11:25), Damien Velociter (11:28) and Reis Smith (11:33) ran together and took the top three spots overall. Flynn Saxton (12:47) and Elliott Lambert (12:54) rounded out the boys. This was a first race for Noah and Damien, and PRs for Reis, Flynn and Elliott. (Over 2 minute PR for Elliott!) On the girls side was Avery Ruffer with a 13:38 and Coraline Smith at 17:04. This was a first race for Avery and a PR for Coraline.
3k Race. Bella Beres took the overall win in 13:21, followed closely by Abby Wagner (13:22) and first boy Abdiel Basabakwinshi (13:23). This was Abdiel’s first race, and he hung with these two veterans the entire way. Abby set a new PR by 13 seconds. We had a very large girls field. Following Bella and Abby were Hadley Murray (14:36), Elsa Wood (14:54), Violet Miller (15:41), Jessica Thomas (17:48), Claire Ruffer (18:12), Kassidy McNeill (19:42), Paisley Harnas (21:54), Jasmine Wagner (23:51), and Julianna Adams (23:56). Hadley and Kassidy had huge PRs, and Elsa also shaved some time off her best. This race was the first for Jessica, Claire, and Julianna. And this was Violet’s first 3k, after taking the overall win in the 2k the previous week.
Following Abdiel on the boys side of the 3k was Burke Hilgendorf (14:09), James Lovell (15:14), Gabriel Cowan (15:29), Charlie Wukovitz (15:45), Finn Barber (16:13), and Brandon Ortiz (17:25). This was a first 3k for Gabriel, Finn and Brandon.
Sept 2021 XC Series - Newtown
SOAR Cross Country is back! The first meet of the season was at Newtown Battlefield, with two courses designed and marked by Coach Duane. We had a good mix of experienced runners and newbies.
2k Race. Violet Miller took first place in this one, with a time of 11:19. The other girls were Rosalie Adams (16:48), Brynleigh Adams (16:58) and Coraline Adams (17:33). Second place overall and first boy was Reis Smith in 11:41. The other boys were Flynn Saxton (14:34) and Elliott Lambert (15:16). This was a first 2k for everyone except for Violet, and it was a PR for her!
3k Race. James Lovell won this one, with a time of 12:51. Burke Hilgendorf was right behind him in 13:02. Bella Beres (13:24) and Abby Wagner (13:35) then took the first two spots for the girls. The other boys were Charlie Wukovitz (15:27) and Logan Avery (23:15), and the girls were Lorelei Strong (14:30), Paisley Harnas (20:23), and Kassidy McNeill (23:47). This was a first 3k for Burke, Charlie, Logan, Lorelei, Paisley, and Kassidy. And it was a PR for James and Abby!
