2014 A Historic Foundation Has Been Built

This cross country season was historic in many ways for the Lincoln Way North Phoenix. The team qualified for the state championship for the first time in school history, they won a regional for the first time, and they won a regular season invitational for the first time.  It was a season full of firsts.  But that success is simply a results of the team doing things the right way day in and day out.

In January the returning varsity runners met to talk about the previous season and their vision for the future. We spent time outlining what needed to be done in the spring, over the summer and then in the fall for the program to have success.  We laid out goals for not only last track season, but this cross season and a few years down the road as well.

The team had a very good summer, logging lots of miles together. The numbers were up over the summer, the energy was up, and the anticipation of what was to come was palpable.  We were in for a great year.

The best part about cross country is the shared experience, everyone on the team understands what each other is going through. Everyone knows the heavy legs during mile repeats, the joy of a beautiful Sunday morning long run, the pain during the second half of a race, that is what bonds the entire team top to bottom we understand what it means to be a runner.  This season everyone on the team put the work in, they ran hard, they did the ancillary stuff, they ate well, the slept well and they cared about each other.

All of the team success was a by-product of that team culture. State qualifying, regional title, Quincy title, but also the 1^st at the frosh/soph level at Tinley Park, 2^nd from our junior varsity in the varsity race at Tinley Park, and 2^nd at TF South, we competed at a higher level than ever before.  On the individual side we had two fresh/soph victories (Trost @ TF South, Nino @ SWSC), and two on the varsity side (Chomiak @ TF South & Quincy).

Here are some numbers that reflect the hard work from the team:

                2:42 improvement average per athlete from our first race to our last.

                :49 improvement average per athlete from last year to this year (returning runners only)

                :41 improvement average per athlete from last year to this year (varsity top 7)

This year saw our fastest Freshman time (16:02-Trost), Sophomore time (15:44-Healy), Junior time (15:15- Chomiak), and #2 Senior time (16:09- Niendorf)

                6 of the 10 fastest runners in North history were on this year’s team (5 are returning next year)

                3 runners broke 16:00, only 2 had done it in the previous 7 seasons

                10 runners broke 17:00, compared to 6 last season

                26 runners broke 20:00, compared to 18 last year

All that to say, it was a very good year for the Phoenix. But what makes is so special is that it was a great year with lots of success, but it also has laid the ground work for the future.  Every team has to have a first trip down state, and once they have the one now that know what it takes, they know what to expect, and they know how to compete at that level.  We have that now at North, now it becomes building on that tradition.  Making a trip to Detweiller in November as a team the norm and not the exception.  Finishing 25 out of 26 was a great accomplishment for our first trip down state, but it left the team wanting more.  What can we do next?  We know what it is going to take to continue to improve, but where will it lead us?  That is a question after this season I can’t wait to find the answer to.