I'm gonna step out and face the next storm
Frank Turner
Cool fall weather, plenty of rain and wind and a very sloppy course! Yep, that's what we got at Lockport for the Southwest Suburban conference meet.
We arrived early and the coaches set up the tent while the boys stayed warm on the bus. Unfortunately, we chose a spot in the elements and no sooner than we had staked it down (with extra stakes), the tent started to blow away. We made the decision to relocate and found an area near the school that was a bit more sheltered. Lesson learned!
The boys, on the other hand, were unfazed by the weather. They were joyous and happy, like kids splashing around in puddles! We explained that this would not be a day for fast times, but an opportunity to just go out and race and beat people. And that's just what they did.
In the varsity race, Grant Giblin took his time running with the front pack. Somewhere around the mile and a half, he took control and went to the lead. He gradually just pulled away for a 16 second win in 15:48. Luke Atzman was in total control throughout the race and rolled in at 16:11, good for 4th place. Mateo Ramiro-Garcia ran his best race of the season and finished 7th in 16:18. Freshman Brayden Gaffud splashed thru the course and nailed down 10th place in 16:31. Our fifth man, Jack Easterhouse, worked his way thru the pack to finish in 15th in 16:55. Sophomores Jackson Canellis (22nd place, 17:24) and Myles Jacquez (24th place, 17:26) finished as our 6th and 7th runners.
Additional varsity finishers included Damian Martinez (18:05), James Coppinger (18:24), Nate McGee (19:21), Aryan Patil (19:36), Connor Wholley (19:47), Zee Ebert (21:01) and Alex Van Alst (21:01).
In the team race, the Eagles captured the conference championship with 37 points over second place Lincoln-Way East with 56. All in all, a very successful race!
swsc_conference_varsity_results_-_10-14-23.pdf
(note: thanks to Brian Gaffud for help on the photos!)
Other frosh-soph racers included Gavin Crotty (18:48), Declan Haubenreiser (19:03), Ryan Schreiber (19:14), Dylan Straka (19:25), Sam Peng (19:27), Michael Krupa (19:51), John Lacny (20:28), Andrew Kotecki (20:28), Caden Jobb (20:54), Andy Coleman (21:04), Duncan Gray (21:24), Lucas Podoreski (22:24) and Tommy Harlin (23:07).
In the battle for the team championship, Lockport prevailed with 41 points - a one point win over the second place Eagles with 42. Lincoln-Way East took third with 44.
swsc_conference_frosh-soph_results_-_10-14-23.pdf