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“No one gets left behind.” This cliché does not apply to athletes — the harsh reality for the Lowell cross country team is that while some runners will continue on to become champions, others will not be able to handle the pounding pressure that it takes to win consistently.
Everyone is striving to get better this year to secure the championship, and the competitors are showing progress. “By looking at the times compared to last year, a lot of people improved this year,” senior Sharon Lew said.
Senior Sarah Gulli has pushed herself during her four years on the cross-country team, hence her success despite her small stature. “A lot of people think that when you have shorter legs, you’re not as fast, but that’s just a myth,” Gulli said. “It’s the lung capacity and the body work, not how long your legs are.”
Gulli started running track in seventh grade for A.P. Giannini Middle School and continued running on the track team and cross-country team through high school. Her love of the sport stems from her family, as her father ran during his high school and college years and her brother currently helps as an assistant coach for Lincoln. Gulli is a dedicated runner who also devotes her weekends to practice, which has contributed to her swift success. “Sarah just gets faster and faster, and she never reaches the plateau,” junior Eileen Li said.
The Cardinals capped off their pre-season with the Westmoor Invitational in Daly City on Sept. 26. “It was a good showing at the Westmoor meet,” coach Michael Prutz said. “Tamara placed second with Sarah close behind in seventh.”
Earlier meets with foggy skies had more favorable weather than the sweltering heat during the Westmoor Invitational. “A lot of hills on a warm day makes a very challenging course,” freshman Emma Keenan-Grice said.
Senior captains Tamara Purpura and Sarah Gulli have consistently shown improvement throughout their four years on the team, and this year is no exception. “Sarah and Tamara are super role models,” Prutz said. “They train really hard and they are good competitors.”
The weather, on the other hand, has not been so consistent. During the Lowell Invitational in Golden Gate Park on Sept. 19 where Purpura, sophomores Caroline Chan and William Chen and freshman Max Niehaus won medals for finishing in the top 20 people of their heat. “We did better because we were more prepared for the Lowell Invitational,” junior Amanda Lee said.
The weather proved to be a miniscule obstacle compared to the threat of their competitors. Prutz is really pushing the runners this year because of the ever-so threatening Lincoln. “Coach is stepping it up,” sophomore Alexander Hillan said. “We are doing two times what we did last year.”
Come watch the runners speed past their opponents at 8 a.m. on Oct. 17 in Garin Park, Hayward in the Mariner Classic Invitational. |
