COACHES: Head – Matt Campbell Assistant – Nick DiPrizio
RECORD: 2-4 (as of Oct. 13)
CONFERENCE/DIVISION: South Shore League, Sullivan Division
SIZE OF PROGRAM: 10 Girls
KEY RUNNERS:
Jackie Earner (Sr.): Jackie has been the heart of this team for four years and her growth as both a runner and leader has been instrumental to the success of this program. She has battled through knee injuries over the last couple of years but luckily she has started her senior season stronger than any other and I couldn’t be more proud of everything she has accomplished. We have some big time goals for her to finish her senior year strong and if she can stay healthy there is no stopping her.
Mia Scarpelli (Sr.): Mia’s senior campaign has not started the way any of us hoped for. Mia has been battling achilles tendonitis, which is a frustrating injury as the recovery time can be slow. Despite not being able to compete yet, she is at practice every day leading the team in every way she can. For a sport that demands so much hard work and challenges, Mia’s positivity and humor are exactly what the team needs to keep them upbeat.
Gabby Maciel (Sr.): Gabby has been with us for four years and does anything asked of her. She exemplifies hard work, dedication, and has been so important to creating the culture of this program.
WHAT ARE THE KEYS TO SUCCESS THIS SEASON:
Like any Cross-Country program, lots of the success of the team stems from how productive the runners were over the summer as they build their cardio base. For those runners who were dedicated to training throughout the summer, they are seeing that hard work pay off in the form of their performances and current training levels.
As cliché as it might sound, what is at the top of the list of things to prioritize throughout the season is keeping each runner’s mindset in a good place. Running is hard enough as it is, and with these athletes juggling school, college decisions, a job, along with their personal lives…the cross country season can be a mental grind. Keeping practices upbeat, having small goals throughout the season, and doing everything we can to make running this much not feel like a chore can be tricky. I give all the credit to these incredible athletes, Cross Country rarely gets the praise it deserves and these runners show up everyday with motivation and determination to succeed.
Staying healthy is also at the top of our priority list. It is incredible difficult to run four years of High School cross country without sustaining some level of overuse injury. A sore muscle can quickly turn into a nagging injury or a season-ending one all too quickly. The runners on this team have become very conscious of prevention strategies and our tremendous Athletic Trainer Alicia Reid have been instrumental.
WHICH MEETS ON THE CALENDAR DO YOU HAVE CIRCLED:
The South Shore League Championship will be a great meet. By that point at the end of October, we hope to have the girls team back at 100% health and will attempt to make an impact against the best runners in the league.