| X-country crosses controversial finish line (12/09) | | Print | |
| Written by Ashley Wu | |
| Friday, 18 December 2009 | |
|
The day for the All-City championship started off with a win for the JV girls, in which freshmen runners Emma Keenan-Grice placed second while Viviene De Guzman placed third However, following that race, the varsity girls could not pull through for the title after their teammates had won. “I am disappointed that girls’ varsity lost for the first time in the history of Lowell cross-country, but I know we tried our best,” senior runner Allison Kimura said. “Chin up to next year’s seniors. Take it home!” An air of frustration lingered in the atmosphere when the starting gun fired off twice for a mishap during the JV boys’ race, calling the runners back to the starting line. After the second shot, the runners trudged back. However, some runners had already walked back to the starting line, while other competitors were still partway along the track when the starters waved the runners to continue the race wherever they were. Sophomore runner Eddy Zheng was among the runners who had returned to the starting line at the signal for the race. Several team members felt that if the uneven start had not confused the runners, Lowell would not have lost to Lincoln. “If they never shot the second shot, boys’ JV would have won,” De Guzman said. “Eddy probably would have been at the front if he didn’t have to go back.” The JV boys’ division finished in second place, losing to Lincoln by only one point. The varsity boys concluded the day with the final win. Junior runner Taiyo Onoda ran his fastest time while pushing himself behind senior runner Samuel Mallonee as they both neared the finish-line. “I ran really hard and met my goal this year by breaking 21 minutes for the 5000 meter race,” Onoda said. Most Valuable Players The Lowell’s choices for most valuable runners this year are senior captain Tamara Purpura and sophomore runner William Chen for their intense speed. They continuously snatched first place wins throughout the season for the team. Even more than their speed, Purpura keeps the team spirits up by encouraging group hugs, light-hearted jokes about junior runner Corey Worthington that he joins in, and taking memory pictures before she graduates from the team. “She constantly encourages us to run and to try our best,” junior runner Ina Jing said. As of now, Chen remains a strong and dedicated runner. “Will has been placing first and second in every race,” Keenan-Grice said. “He has pushed through injuries to get right back to running.” Sophomore runner Alexander Hillan also supports Keenan-Grice’s nomination of Chen for MVP. “He is the fastest and probably the most confident runner on out team, and that is what really counts in the races,” he said. Share this article:           |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
to listen.
