QUAD MEET WIN STREAK CONTINUES FOR GIANTS!

Last week, the meet at the new cross country course on the Highland Park Country Club got cancelled due to lightning one mile into the race. Due to restoration projects beginning on that property this week the Giants were back to hosting at the challenging Sunset Woods Park course. With a few of the top HP runners questionable for the race do to possible injuries, the varsity team knew it would have an uphill challenge to keep the Quad Meet winning streak alive. The meet was against Glenbrook North, Maine West, and Maine East.

Despite a sore achilles this week, Jose Reyes still raced and was able to get to the front with teammate Jason Polydoris. They flew through the mile in 5:02 to start to build a lead on the field early. The next 3 runners for HP were a bit further back in the field despite a solid 5:17-5:18 first mile. The trio (Alex Brown, Erik Anderson, and Jordy Mazza) were patient and started to work their way up past their opponents as the race progressed.

In the end, Reyes took first in 15:36 while Polydoris was 2nd in 15:51. Both runners made the All-Time list for the Sunset Woods course. Despite only being a freshmen, Alex Brown ran with tremendous poise and took 6th overall in 16:57. Jordy Mazza had taken several days off running recently due to foot pain, but proved he was still ready to race and help his team. He capped off his race with another strong kick to take 7th in 17:00. Erik Anderson had another gutsy performance as he battled to the finish to take 8th in 17:01.

This was enough to give the team victories against GBN, MW, and ME. Another Quad Meet sweep for the Giants! That brings the streak to 15 straight Quad Meet sweeps which is equivalent to 45 Dual Meet victories in a row!

The race included several other solid performances by HP runners. Sophomore Max Friedman was the team’s 6th runner as he finished in 17:53 to run one of his best times ever for 3 miles. Sophomore Tyler Carlson ran a personal best 18:14 with senior Jack Shulman running 18:21 and sophomore Evan Diethrich 18:25 behind him. The next HP pack was led by sophomore Jack Levine with a personal best 19:04. He was followed by senior Ben Gordon (19:05), sophomore Mason Goldstein (19:07), and junior Ryan Rosenfeld (19:21).

The team needs more help outside the top five. The gaps will need to continue to close as the season is reaching the final stretch and runners are fighting for a top 7 spot. With the toughness and quality racing of junior Corey Fairchild still missing due to his injury, teammates will need to rise to the occasion. The varsity responded well at this meet and need to continue to show that same determination and confidence the remainder of the season with or without Fairchild.

In the Frosh-Soph race the Giants got out well. Hunter Kells ran the first mile in 5:59, which is the first time he has run under 6 minutes for a mile. He was followed by Alejandro Seiden in 6:15 through the mile. The duo finished the 2.05 mile race in 13:09 and 13:17. Nick Aguirre, Ethan Sharobeem, and Ted Zinoz all had fast first miles and held on to run 14:49, 15:00, and 15:03. Sophomore Robert Nguyen had a breakthrough race to run a big personal best through the mile in 6:49 and finish in 15:52. It is nice to be able to see the hard work pay off in races as these young runners continue to drop significant time off their personal bests.

If the program wants to have a chance at continuing the winning streak in the upcoming years, team members will need to commit to that endeavor by putting in consistent training over the next 365 days.

Who will DECIDE to choose greatness? Who will COMMIT to what it takes to be great? Who will SUCCEED?