2010 Season Wrap-Up

Hello,

This is long overdue, but I do want to recap some of the season ending items to share with everyone.

1) State Meet

In her first CC season, Mary Ennis qualified for the State Cross Country meet as an individual. It was encouraging to see her teammates train with Mary in the week before the meet, rally around her in preparing to race, and show up to cheer her on at the championship event. Here are the results:

15:57.0 - Mary Ennis (5:56, 6:58, 3:03) - 45th place
(153 total girls runners)

As you can see by the splits, most of the second mile was run into a stiff wind. It was a good finish to a fantastic first season of CC for Mary. Lots of success for a first-year runner, but it might only be the start of something bigger, as Mary is a very driven and motivated individual.

2) Academic All-State

I am not sure if everyone is aware of this achievement, but both the Trinity Boys and Girls Cross Country teams attained Academic All-State Gold-Level honor. This means that the varsity runners listed on the Section 4A roster averaged a GPA level of 3.75 or higher. Congratulations to both squads!

3) Team Awards

Our CC banquet seems long ago now, but on Tuesday, November 9th we recognized these runners with well-deserved awards, as voted on by coaches and students:

Boys-
Most Valuable - Charlie Leighton
Most Dedicated - JonElliott Brubaker
Most Improved - Jonathon Valentas
Spirit Award - JonElliott Brubaker

Girls-
Most Valuable - Mary Ennis
Most Dedicated - Rebecca Driessen
Most Improved - Ayana Anderson
Spirit Award - Katie Stephenson

4) Motivation for 2011 Season

I spoke about this at the end of the CC banquet, but it is worth repeating here. Summer/off-season training is the key ingredient to Trinity CC becoming a powerhouse program. Both the boys and girls teams have taken great strides and are ready for the next step. It is going to take a group of motivated and hard working individuals committed to summer training to reach lofty goals that would include qualifying for the State meet.

There is no magic method to becoming a better and faster runner, but I can give you some important advice a previous coach of mine imparted on me:

Coach: "Do you know the secret to becoming a better runner? To run. And run some more. And do it often."

Seems simple doesn't it? ...but when the cold winter months or the busy summer months roll around, it gets harder and harder to keep the routine and remember that consistency in training is the best way to improve.

5) Thanks

I want to say thanks again to the parents and families of the cross country runners for hosting events, providing transportation, timing and working at meets, and for your support throughout the season. Our success comes from your involvement and the positive team atmosphere you help us instill in the program.

State Meet Information

Race: State Meet
Date: Saturday, November 6th
Place: St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN - warmup/camp area for participating athletes is in the Tostrud Center on the old indoor track.
Schedule:
Class A Boys Race: 10:00am
Class A Girls Race: 11:00am
Class A Awards: 11:30am in Tostrud Center gymnasium
Class AA Boys Race: 1:00pm
Class AA Girls Race: 2:00pm
Class AA Awards: 2:30pm in Tostrud Center gymnasium

Directions from Trinity:
...on 35:
take 494 West to 35E South
take 35E South to 35 South
take 35 South to Hwy 19 going East
take Hwy 19 East for about 5-6 miles to St. Olaf College (spectator parking will be on the east side of campus)

...on Hwy 3:
take Argenta Trail to 70th Street W going East
take 70th Street W to Hwy 3/Robert Street going South (right)
take Hwy 3 through Rosemount, Farmington and into Northfield
take Hwy 3 to Hwy 19 and go West (right)
take Hwy 19 West for about a mile to St. Olaf College (spectator parking will be on the east side of campus)

Race Distances and Maps:
Boys Race 5000m Course Map
Girls Race 4000m Course Map

Schedule for Mary Ennis:
9:00am - arrive at Race Site/Tostrud Center indoor track
9:15-9:45am - pickup packet information, turn in forms, get race number, see the course
10:00am - Boys race
10:30am - warmup, stretch, get to starting line (teammates are encouraged to attend and warmup with Mary)
11:00am - Girls race
11:20am - cooldown
11:30am - Class A awards
...after the awards, athletes can decide if they want to stay for the Class AA races or not.

Awards:
Top 3 Teams: Trophies and Team Medals
Top 7 Individuals: Medals
Top 25 Individuals: All-State