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The starting gun popped, signaling hundreds of numbered jerseys to set off. Feet thudded against the grassy meadow as the Cardinals began another season.
With hearts racing, blood pumping and legs aching, the cross-country team makes its way into what it hopes to be another thrilling season. Fresh off its epic 2010 season, when it reigned undefeated and took its 31st consecutive All-City title, the team is charging into the 2011 season training for two to two-and-a-half hours per day.
The team has a balanced mix of veterans and new runners. “The veterans are very nice during practice, and if they pass you, they’ll say ‘good job’. It’s not really divided into age, but more one team,” freshman runner Leah Siegel said.
Why fix something that isn’t broken? Well, the same applies to a winning team, according to Coach Michael Prutz. "We’re not changing a lot of our basic training strategies this year, however, we are going to focus more on speed work,” Prutz, the team’s coach of five years said. “The team is more motivated, and they began their own workouts before school even started. We are training more hills and sprints to focus on speed training as our main goal. We have many stars on the team but depth is key to winning.”
However, the Cardinals are prepared for any shifts in competition. “Lincoln has beat us in the past, but I have heard that they are not as strong this year. However, the Mission Bears have apparently improved, so that is an exciting addition for the season,” Prutz said.
The 39th annual San Francisco Cross-Country Invitational on Sept. 17, which was hosted for the 33rd consecutive year by Lowell, was a successful meet for the Cardinals. The course was lined with teammates and alumni guiding the runners along the 3.43 kilometer and 4.71 kilometer courses, shouting out encouragement. Racing against teams from 49 Bay Area schools, freshmen Isaiah Abeyta and Jack Hinson ran in the Frosh/Soph Boys 3.43 kilometer race, both snagging places in the top 30. Abeyta, placing 9th, and Hinson, placing 26th, were the first Cardinals to earn medals this season.
Overall, the meet was a good start for Lowell and a satisfying challenge for the racers, with the Cardinal team placing in the top ten in five out of thirteen races. “I ran track at AP Giannini, and I joined the Cardinals because I love to run,” Hinson said while icing his sore feet after a race.
The sophomore boys’ team placed 4th in the 3.93 km race out of all schools. Sophomore Brian Nguyen snagged 15th place with a time of 12:42, with Donald Chen close behind, placing 16th with a time of 12:45. Eight runners placed in the top 100 of all 153 finishers.
The Frosh/Soph girls’ team, which placed 6th in the meet, included sophomores Patricia Nguy (15:56) and Kathleen Kanaley (16:03), who placed within the top 25 in the 3.93 km race. For the JV boys’ team, which placed 7th overall out of all participating schools, junior Brian Shaw placed 23rd with a time of 18:23, with six runners in the top 100 of 128 finishers of the 4.71 km race.
Varsity girls’ and boys’ both placed 9th overall, with junior Emma Keenan-Grice taking 25th place on a time of 20:04. For the varsity girls, six runners placed within the top 100 of all 133 participants.
Come cheer on the Cardinals at 8 a.m. on Oct. 8th, at Belmont for the Crystal Springs Invite!
A version of this article first appeared in the Oct. 7, 2011 print edition of The Lowell. |
