THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS were held this past Saturday in Carrollton, GA with the AAAA races featured at the end of the day. LHSCC had visited the course back in Sept. and returned as the Region 6-AAAA runners-up hoping to be standing on the podium at the end of the day.
THE VARSITY BOYS rose above their state ranking to finish 6th overall, just a total of 3 minutes out of first and 75 seconds from the podium! Four of the seven runners beat their times from the Carrollton Orhtopedic on Sept. 10th. Senior captain Brent Reynolds was the top finisher for the boys in 17th place overall. Brian Song not only beat his previous time on this course but nearly set a season PR to finish 28th. James Strickland finished 3rd for the team followed by Mohamed Balde (61st) who beat his previous time by nearly a minute! Freshman Connor Keisling finished 5th for the team (77th overall) with a personal course record with Seniors Josh Traynellis (110th) and Hamilton Greene (148th) rounding out the racers. Other state team members included junior captain Gareth Kanter, Jedrek Higgns, Cooper Gray, Will Smith-Purcell, and Joey Saulino (who got new haircuts for state!). (BTW, eight members of the state team will be back next season and are already planning their return to Carrollton!)
THE VARSITY GIRLS finished the season with a lot to be proud of as they struggled to overcome the obstacles that they faced in their quest for a state championship. The team finished just 3 minutes from the podium. Meghan Wetterhall was the top finisher for the girls despite a broken foot. Jenn Cora finished on Meghan's shoulder with an identical time. They were followed by Taylor Bergstrom who bested her September time by over 40 seconds! Hayley Keadey overcame a mid-race regurgitation to finish fourth for the team. Clarissa Keisling also improved over her last visit to Carrollton by 40 seconds followed by Grace Clark. Freshmen Bea Frankel nearly beat her Wendy's time as she bested her Sept. Carrollton time by over 90 seconds! You should have seen her face as she made her last sprint for the finish. Underclassmen Victoria Thompson, Carsen Pastirik, Palmer Daniels, Margo Steele and Ruth Anne Traynellis made up the rest of the state roster for the girls.
And if you think the future looks bright for the boys...the girls will be returning all of their championship team except for senior captain Meghan Wetterhall. So make your plans now to return to Carrollton next November!
Congratulations to region rivals Marist and Dunwoody for their success at State. Dunwoody finished third in the girls championship behind Marist who won for the fourth year in a row. The Marist boys were state runners-up, just one point ahead of the other Lakeside.
THE END OF THE SEASON BANQUET is scheduled for Tuesday, November 15 in the LHS cafeteria at 7:00 p.m. All runners and their families are invited to attend what is always a fun night full of memories and laughs. This is also a chance for us to recognize all of the members of LHSCC who have helped make this such a successful season. Look for a separate e-mail with details soon.
UNIFORMS must be turned in to Coach Barbe as soon as possible. This inlucdes all uniforms, top and shorts, varsity, JV, Open and Championship uniforms. PARENTS, PLEASE HELP YOUR CHILD REMEMBER TO RETURN THEIR UNIFORM. Anyone who brings in their uniform on Monday will receive a brownie!
"THE VIKING" ADVENTURE RUN is scheduled for this Friday afternoon and Saturday. There has been a lot of talk, but so far, no teams or individuals have signed up. Wednesday is the deadline to sign-up as an individual or as a co-ed team of four. (If we do not have at least four teams by then, the run will be cancelled.)
THE VIKING 5-K is scheduled for Saturday, November 19th at 8 a.m. starting at Oak Grove Methodist Church. Go to the Lakeside Foundation website to register now.
COACH'S TIP: FALL TRAINING! The high school cross country season has come to an end, after months of long miles, hills, speed work, and races. It would be a terrible thing to let all that hard work go to waste by reverting to your pre-LHSCC lifestyle. Please continue to eat smart, mainitain your strength and get out for a run at least 3 times a week. And be sure one of those runs is a long one. The coOler temps and colors will help to inspire you. This is also a great time of the year for local road races, like the Viking 5-K and the ATC's Thanksgiving Marathons. If you continue a conscientious lifestyle and training schedule you will be ready for spring track or soccer season. (And before you know it, it will be time to start summer training for cross-country!)
"NUFF SAID" - "ANOTHER GREAT SEASON!"
