Greg Picard’s Ten Commandments for Running and High School

By Senior Greg Picard

Here are ten rules that I think are good ones to live by as a competitive runner in high school.  No one ever told me these rules, I have had to figure out for myself, and I figured I might try to make the underclassmen’s lives easier by sharing them.

Senior Greg Picard

1.  Focus on running before you focus on form.  There are a lot of books and TV shows out there stressing good, “natural” form for running.  Some books even claim that this “natural” form causes running to be injury free.  I’m not saying that these books are wrong, but I am extremely skeptical.  I definitely ran with form greatly in mind junior year, and Nick ran with his form in mind senior year, and both of those seasons Nick and I got injured.  There are many factors that lead to injuries, but I think that Nick and I trying to adjust our form in ways that our body wasn’t accustomed to for years of running prior to the adjustment added to the problem.  The only thing Young suggests we do in summer training plans and in weekly workout sheets is to run, not run with a “natural” gait.  I think all runners should focus on speed and hitting the right mileage each week, and good form and healthy running will come naturally.

2.  Before your senior year, write out drafts for all the college essays that you need to submit.  College essays are not difficult.  They are 250-500 word essays where there is no truly “wrong” answer.  And yet I have never spent more time on any assignment than I have my college essays.  Almost everything I have done academically for these four years has been so that I can get into a college I want to go to.  Writing the essays and clicking “submit” are the culmination of all this hard work.  I have spent hours and hours revising and rewriting so that my essays can be perfect.  This is unavoidable, and my advice to underclassmen would be to write their essays during the summer so that they can get more sleep the weeks before their application deadlines.

3.  Don’t be afraid to be competitive with teammates.  The enemy at meets is of course not your own team, but the other teams along the start line.  But while racing, one should never have the mindset that it is O.K. for a teammate to pass you.  A runner needs to simplify their priorities during a race: passing is good, getting passed is bad, no matter who it is.  Also, two B-CC runners finishing together in front of an opposing team is much better than one B-CC runner.  I’ve had my best season ever for cross-country this year partly because I refuse to let my teammate Matt Boden go during races.  The friendly competition Matt and I have with each other helps us both to pass other runners as the race drags on.  And in the end, even though Matt was my adversary on the course, the ultimate enemies defeated are the runners from opposing teams.

4. If you are capable, enroll in the full-IB program junior year.  There are many reasons people don’t become full IB students, such as an extremely strong desire to take AP Physics or a natural inability to handle the course load.  And if you are a student who is in a situation such as this please ignore this commandment, and do not feel at all bad about not following it.  I am a full-IB student, and I have found that the program is an exciting, well-rounded way to learn.  We at B-CC are blessed to have the program available to us, especially considering how much being a part of the program can help students with college admissions.  61.3% of IB diploma candidates applying to UVA are accepted verses an overall acceptance rate of 39%.  I encourage all students to not be afraid of the vigor of the IB program and to take advantage of the great opportunity B-CC students have to enroll in it.

5.  Don’t ever get negative before a race. I’ve heard many people complain before races about how hard the course is, and how badly they are going to do.  And almost all of the kids I hear that complain like this are going to do as bad as they predict.  Keeping a positive mind frame is crucial to a good race, so that your mind is better prepared for the pain that hits you after about a mile and a half in a race. 

6.  Don’t get over stressed about quarter grades.  Most of the students in my classes are extremely stressed out about the grades they get each quarter.  But semester grades are a combination of two quarters and an exam.  If you get a B for a class on the final quarter grade it is not the end of the world, and you will have the opportunity to receive the same semester grade as someone who’s gotten an A on both quarters and the exam.  My sister doesn’t recall attending more than two straight-A breakfasts.  Now she is a majoring in Physics at Yale University.  Quarter grades are not worth becoming unhealthily stressed out about.

7.  Don’t be afraid to work out with someone faster than you.  My PR as a freshman was 21:30.  Next year I trained hard over the summer, and every workout at practice I made myself workout with the varsity team.  I don’t think I could be the runner that I am today if I did not push myself that sophomore season.  Telling myself I could do it was the first step, and the rest followed.  That season I dropped my time down to 18:36.

8.  Make an effort to create new friendships.  People change in high school.  Sometimes the changes are rapid, sometimes they are slow and somewhat unnoticeable, but with these changes could be a change in taste regarding with who you want to be around.  My friends today are different from the friends I had in middle school, and that is because I didn’t settle into a clique and refuse to associate with anyone outside the clique.  I know many of people this year who are bitter with their friends, but feel as if it is too late to make new ones, because creating a lasting friendship takes time.  That is why I think everyone should always to be open to friendly advances from peers, and not be afraid to make them themselves, no matter what.

9.  Enjoy running.  My last running advice is simple, and that is to enjoy the sport that we do.  Most runners I know have this attitude of “I hate it but I have to do it,” and I never quite understood that.  We wouldn’t come back every season if we didn’t love the sport, it is just that the extreme difficulty of it makes us forget our love for running.  Try to enjoy that difficulty.  Be competitive but do not let your competitiveness take away from how much you enjoy the sport.  Because you will soon find yourself a senior like myself, wishing you could hold on to every last second you have with your team, wishing that you had more time with everyone.  Don’t wish your time as a B-CC runner away, because every second of it is precious.

10.  Enjoy your classes.  My last school advice is also simple, and that is to enjoy your time in high school.  Most B-CC students don’t appreciate how blessed they are to be able to take the classes that we do, because with these high quality classes comes great amounts of hard work and stress.  But our school has some of the best classes, and the best teachers in the country, and we are the lucky few blessed with the opportunity to enroll in this school for free.  Take a moment to appreciate what you are doing while you are doing homework, and think about the value of all that you’re learning.  Don’t get too caught up with trying to get an A that you don’t see how lucky you are to be able to take such great classes in the first place. 

I would like to thank my coaches Chad Young, Emily Young, Nathan Herchenroeder, and Alex Gray for helping me learn these lessons.  The experiences I have had on this team are without a doubt the most valuable to me during these four years, and I cannot thank the coaches enough for this.

McUmber sets course record, leads B-CC to county title

By Emily Young

Sophomores Nora McUmber and Caroline Beakes

Sophomore Nora McUmber has never been one to surge to the front of the race. In fact, her style has historically involved a relaxed first couple miles slightly removed from the front runners, and then a slow but steady run down of the lead pack. On Saturday, however, McUmber decided about a mile into the race that hanging out behind the lead pack felt too cramped, so she unexpectedly excused herself from the group and began the hunt for the race’s lone lead runner, Richard Montgomery’s Sophie El Masry. Sophomore Caroline Beakes followed suit, and the two runners, in an unforeseen but not entirely surprising turn of events, opened up a sizeable lead on a field filled with talented, state champion-caliber runners. At the end of 3.1 miles, McUmber was the first runner across the line, claiming the title of County Champion and setting a new course record of 18:25. Beakes followed shortly after in 18:32, 16 seconds ahead of El Masry, who finished third.

Although McUmber and Beakes decisively claimed the top two spots, the team still needed a solid performance from their third, fourth, and fifth runners in order to hold off a strong and improving Quince Orchard team. Senior Laura Nakasaka, an often under-celebrated yet invaluable member of the varsity squad, kept QO’s number 3 runner in her sights and was eventually able to overtake her, crossing the line in 12^th place in 19:25, 4 seconds ahead of her competition. Affectionately known as the Terminator for her incredible toughness, Nakasaka has been vital to the team’s success this season, and she proved again on Saturday why she is regarded as one of the most consistent, most reliable runners on the team.

Senior Laura Nakasaka

Sophomore Abby Fry, who, like Nakasaka, does not always receive the credit and recognition she deserves, also turned in a valuable performance, finishing 17^th in 19:54 and further solidifying B-CC’s advantage over QO. Freshman Abigail Levine was the next Baron to cross the line. Levine, stepping up into B-CC’s number five spot for the first time this season, finished 34^th in a time of 20:38 and secured the victory for B-CC. Rounding out the top 7 for the Barons were Sophomore Kat McNeill in 20:58 and Junior Amanda Cohen in 21:03.

The B-CC girls were able to walk away with the win on Saturday, but Quince Orchard certainly made their presence known and established themselves as a cause for concern at the upcoming regional and state meets.

The varsity girls were not the only B-CC squad to run their way to a victory on Saturday. B-CC also claimed a first place team finish in the JV 9/10 race. Freshman Marie Caspard took control of the race from the start and dominated the competition, winning the race in 21:15, 20 seconds in front of the second place finisher. But she wasn’t the only B-CC freshman to make a statement in the race. Freshmen Lily O’Dowd, Annie Sharkey, and Lauren Kronheim finished 4^th, 6^th, and 7^th, respectively. The impressive showing from the B-CC rookies suggests that there could be a serious struggle for the top 7 varsity spots next season.

Freshman Marie Caspard

In the JV 11/12 race, Junior Angie Peterson led the way for the Barons with a gutsy race and a 5^th place finish, followed by Senior Elena Crouch in 11^th and Junior Vanessa Shu in 13^th. Seniors Emily Hardgrove and Shayna Nash rounded out the scoring for the Barons, who finished 3^rd as a team.

The B-CC girls walked away from Saturday with a lot to celebrate, including two team titles, two individual titles, and PR performances from:

Alyssa Alfonso (23:22)

Caroline Beakes (18:32)

Sofia Crouch (23:22)

Imani Drew (27:58)

Francesca Faccone (23:17)

Casey Gutierrez (26:54)

Tess Joseph (23:40)

Nora McUmber (18:25)

Sonia Picard (29:05)

Ellen Sisti (24:43)

Leah Teshome (27:33)

Genevieve Volz (25:48)

Sarah Ward (23:30)

The girls and boys teams will be at High Point Farm in Clarksburg one week from today for the Regional meet. The gun goes off at 3pm for the girls and 4pm for the boys. Come cheer on the team!

Final Reflections, by Shayna Nash

Final Reflections, by Shayna Nash

Senior Shayna Nash

I have to be honest; when the season first started I was not happy. Almost all of my friends had graduated and one of my best friends who had been on the team since freshman year was out for the whole season. The girl’s team seemed so foreign to me. I felt like a freshman; I didn’t really know anybody and I wanted to make a good impression.  But in reality I was a lonely senior who desperately missed her friends and wanted them to hop on the next plane and come back.  Throughout preseason, I shut myself off from the rest of the team. I was too busy missing my friends and reminiscing about seasons past to even bother with the people that were left.            

But then I heard something, something so inspiring from none other than freshman Ana Fowler. I overheard Ana talking about how she came from a small middle school.  Cross country was making her transition to high school so much easier because now she has all these new best friends. She knew both upperclassmen and people in her grade that would be there for her no matter what, she even compared the team to a family. She seemed so happy to be a part of the team. This reminded me of something I learned in psychology last year. Humans feel the need to belong. When a student enters B-CC, they are automatically part of the student body. They are one of thousands. But by being an athlete they are one of hundreds and by being on the cross country team they are one of a few. They’re part of something exclusive. That’s the greatest thing about cross country; the sport is exclusive and inclusive at the same time. There are no try-outs but after mid-August the walk-on closes. After that, you’re part of a team, a family, something bigger. Which takes me back to my freshman year.

In middle school I travelled in a pack of girls. I never did anything without at least one member of my little group. But freshman year, I decided to do cross country (because I thought it was sprinting-imagine my surprise the first day of practice) without my pack. This was a challenge for me. The first day of preseason I knew a total of 4 people. All the boys looked like grown men and the girls looked so old (they could drive-OMG!). I was intimidated to say the least. But as my first preseason came to a close, I began to feel like part of something. I had never been on a school team before. It was kind of cool, especially when school started. I’d see the upperclassmen in the hallway and I thought I was so cool when I would walk in the hallway with my freshman friends and a senior would say, “hi” or wave to me.  One of my friends from school was neighbors with one of the seniors on the team and whenever I’d go to my friend’s house we’d ring her doorbell and leave something totally ridiculous. Looking back on it, I’m a little embarrassed but at the time I thought I was a big deal because I knew a senior. I had always wanted other freshman and underclassmen to get to know me and look up to me like I had to all of the seniors my freshman year. So after I heard Ana, I opened my mind. It took some time but I eventually began to feel more comfortable around the other girls. I really got to know and develop friendships with them and I’m so glad I did.

Yesterday, as I completed my final race, I realized how much I’ve gained from this four year experience. I’ve made some lifelong friends. I learned about  commitment, hard work and dedication. I learned how to compete with, support and respect my teammates.  Most importantly throughout my years I’ve finally accumulated enough knowledge of the sport and maturity to be a role model. Being elected captain was one of the greatest honors I could have ever received. Having looked up to countless upperclassmen when I was younger, I’m happy I could do the same for some of you. I promise, even when I graduate, to always be there for you all. Always.

Love,

Captain Shayna 

Boys run to 5th place at county meet, Peter Horton 4th overall

By Chad Young

After a surprising fourth place finish in last year’s county championships, the B-CC boys team made it hard to enter this year’s meet unnoticed.  After Mocorunning fans predicted them to finish second behind Walter Johnson in preseason polls, the boys have struggled with injuries and have found it difficult to live up to even their own expectations.

Excited to hear the news that senior Nick McGreivy would be healthy and ready to make a comeback from an IT band injury in time for the county meet, the team also learned some bad news:  sophomore Sam Baker would be out due to his third stress fracture of the season, this time in his heel.  However, even with bad news, the boys team remained positive and excited for the opportunity they would have to compete at this year’s county meet.

In a pre-county meet pep talk, McGreivy reminded the team that the dream of winning a state title wouldn’t be decided by a stress fracture or any other injury.  He reminded the guys that they still had an opportunity to decide the outcome of each race. Unfortunately, the team didn’t quite meet the expectations of the fans that voted in the preseason, but some impressive individual performances helped to create some excitement in anticipation of a strong finish to the season.

Varsity Team Striders

As B-CC’s top finisher in each race this season, Peter Horton has competed with the county’s best, and he used his racing experience to pace himself on the first mile of the County Championships on Saturday.  A pack of four of the county favorites surged to the lead early on in the race while Horton remained calm and paced himself in a secondary chase pack. 

After the first of three loops, teammate Alex Riishojgaard made his way up to Horton and the two pushed each other in an effort to catch Wootton’s Josh Trzeciak from the front pack.  Horton continued to surge as he closed the gap to the third runner, Nick Simpson, from Einstein, but was unable to push past him on the final straightaway.

Horton ended up finishing in fourth place in a time of 16:05, which was good for his second fastest time of the season.  Riishojgaard finished just behind him in 9^th place in a time of 16:20, also his second fastest time of the season.

Nolan Ebner

Junior Nolan Ebner was the third B-CC finisher under 17 minutes, finishing in 22^nd place overall in 16:56, his second fastest time of the season as well.  Ebner has shown great improvement this season as he was 42^nd overall at this meet last year in 17:20. 

Rounding out the top seven were Nick McGreivy (17:42) in 58^th place, Matthew Boden (18:06) in 77^th place, Greg Picard (18:18) in 91^st place and Sam Hainbach (20:25) in 156^th place. 

The boys team placed a respectable fifth place overall behind WJ, Wootton, Einstein and Sherwood.

In the JV races, many B-CC boys took advantage of the fast course at Gaithersburg’s Bohrer Park and came out with their fastest times of the year, including Yuri Ivanenko in 20:01, Solomon Goldfarb in 20:21, Jack Ward in 21:52, Philippe Masson in 21:56, and Harrison Fang in 22:53.  Lucas Beck also made his season debut in 21:18.

Lucas Beck, Leul Assamenew, Thomas Horton, Conrad Jones, Kevin Flores, (Alex Riishojgaard in back)

Junior Leul Assamenew also ran a personal best time as he led the way for B-CC in the upperclassmen JV race in a time of 18:33, good for an impressive 16^th place overall. Kyle Nakasaka was the first B-CC finisher in the underclassmen JV race and finished in a personal best time of 19:21, good for 57^th place overall.

The boys team will look to continue its improvement and run at a high level at Clarksburg’s High Point Farm on Thursday November 1^st.  Races begin at 3:00pm.  The boys will need to finish in the top seven places to qualify for the state meet.

Coyote Invite wins begin season's homestretch

By Barry Levine

With a 2 week training break before the Montgomery County Championships, it’s a good time to reflect on the season to date.

With their win at the 11-team Coyote Invitational, the boys’ team showed just a glimpse of its post-season potential.  Junior Peter Horton continues to run with the top 5-8 runners in Montgomery County, and Alex Riishojgaard has cut the gap to Peter to less than 20 seconds in the last two meets.  In almost every meet this year, classmate Nolan Ebner has been about the same distance behind Alex.  This strong junior trio gives B/CC a strong foundation for scoring in larger meets. 

Supporting the trio to date has been the partnership of Boden & Picard.  That would be junior Matthew Boden and senior Greg Picard.  They have been separated by less than 16 seconds in every race so far, and you can’t be sure who is going to come across first.  At the Coyote Invitational, it was either Boden’s sprint past a Quince Orchard runner in the homestretch by 2 seconds that give B/CC the winning point in the meet (74-75), or it was Picard’s sprint ahead of a different QO runner by 5 seconds that determined the outcome.

That was typical of the boys’ season to date, with multiple 1-point losses and wins.  One thing that would make a difference would be good health.  The season started out very promisingly for senior Nick McGreivy, who ran between Horton and Riishojgaard in the opening meet against Wootton at Candy Cane.  Similarly, it was great to see sophomore Sam Baker back running at the Coyote.  Their contributions would help create an incredibly strong core team for the post season.

Standing right behind this group includes varsity stalwart Sam Hainbach and fellow juniors Leul Assamenew, and Conrad Jones; sophomores Kyle Nakasaka and Liam McGowan; and freshman Chris Wilks and Colin Cowie. 

The girls’ team enters the postseason with high expectations.  Undefeated against Montgomery County competition, the girls have proven themselves against great out-of-state competition too, finishing second of 43 teams at Paul Short and second of 38 teams at Oatlands.  Senior Laura Nakasaka sets the consistent tone for sophomores Caroline Beakes, Abby Fry, Kat McNeill, and Nora McUmber,.  But more than consistent, each of the top five has been spectacular at times:  Nakasaka’s top 25 medal at Oatlands, McUmber and Beakes both finishing within 21 seconds of Montgomery County’s top two returning runners Abbey Daley and Lucy Srour at Coyote, Fry’s second place finish to open the season at Candy Cane against Wootton, and McNeill’s continued return to health with a top 10 finish at Coyote. 

The girls’ team has depth too.  Senior Emily Hardgrove and juniors Amanda Cohen, Angie Peterson, and Vanessa Shu guide yet another group of (not-Mc) freshman including Marie Caspard, Abigail Levine, Lauren Kronheim, Lily O’Dowd, and Annie Sharkey. 

Both teams have excellent post-season potential.  Their training between now and October 20th will go a long way to determinng the outcome.  Good luck!

Tri-meet battle with Sherwood and Quince Orchard

By Emily Young

The Boys

The home stretch at Wednesday’s tri-meet at Sherwood turned into an all-out battle for Junior Matt Boden as one of the home team’s runners challenged him to a flat-out sprint to the finish. Boden, undoubtedly one of the most competitive, determined runners in any race, anywhere, accepted the challenge and drained his muscles of every last ounce of energy as he kicked down the final 100 meters of the course in a time of 18:55. It was a thrilling finish, one that seemed almost too close to call, but in the end, the official results favored the Sherwood runner.

Junior Matt Boden

Unfortunately, Boden’s hard-fought journey to the finish, one that ended in an almost-victory, seems to mirror the fortunes of the boys team so far this season. They’ve logged quality miles and workouts, they’ve stayed late at practice to do extra stretching and circuit drills, and they’ve endured the pain of regular ice baths, yet they seem to be falling just short of victory on the course. The boys have been missing key returner Sophomore Sam Baker due to double stress fractures, and they were also noticeably without Senior Nick McGreivy on Wednesday (McGreivy reluctantly withheld himself from the race in an effort to control a nagging IT band issue). For one reason or another, things just haven’t fallen into place. There have been glimpses of greatness and big things to come, but they have yet to deliver their piece de resistance—that perfect moment when all of their efforts culminate in a beautiful, expectation-defying race, one that surprises their opponents but only reaffirms to themselves what they already know—they are capable of greatness.

Juniors Peter Horton and Alex Riishojgaard

Despite their growing frustration, there were a number of reasons to celebrate on Wednesday, including an individual win by Junior Peter Horton, his first ever cross country victory in 17:13, and a strong race by Junior Alex Riishojgaard, who finished just a few seconds behind Horton (17:18). Junior Nolan Ebner also showed that he is capable of hanging with the top pack as he pulled off a 4^th place overall finish in 17:31.  Ebner passed three runners in the last 800 meters and finished just two seconds behind Sherwood’s number one runner.

A secondary pack of boys has also emerged and shown they are figuring out the five kilometer race as they continue to inch closer to spots on the varsity squad.  The group, Leul Assamenew (20:24), Liam McGowan (20:53), Kyle Nakasaka (20:56), Conrad Jones (21:18) and Thomas Mackell (21:26), seem to be improving with each race.  Mackell’s time was good for a personal record by 30 seconds on a course which was deceptively challenging with many rolling hills.

The Girls

Sophomore Kat McNeill and Freshman Abigail Levine

The girls came away from Wednesday with two more divisional wins. Sophomore Caroline Beakes claimed another individual victory in 20:34 (despite having to retrace her steps after a wrong turn…), and Sophomore Nora McUmber inched her way up throughout the race to finish a close second in 20:37. Sophomore Kat McNeill (21:38) and Freshman Marie Caspard (21:42) each made their official racing debuts this season, finishing as the Barons’ 5^th and 6^th runners respectively. Freshman Abigail Levine (21:43) rounded out the top 7, crossing the line just over a minute after Beakes. Senior Laura Nakasaka (20:51) and Sophomore Abby Fry (21:16) also turned in impressive performances as B-CC’s 3^rd and 4^th runners.

Junior Amanda Cohen and Freshman Lily O'Dowd

Like the boys, the girls have a strong pack of runners, including three more freshmen, improving quickly and hoping to earn a varsity spot in the near future.  Lily O’Dowd (22:56), Amanda Cohen (22:59), and Lauren Kronheim (23:13) finished in 16^th, 17^th and 18^th overall respectively, with teammates Annie Sharkey (24:05), Vanessa Shu (24:10) and Emily Hardgrove (24:17) close behind.

The teams look forward to the Oatlands Invitational this Saturday where over 100 schools and almost 5,000 runners will compete in one of the most competitive meets of the season.

Boys team continues to improve, but falls one point short

By Senior Nick McGreivy

Now in my fourth year on the team, it seems that usually early in the season, runners are starting to gradually improve, but are still a ways away from the times they hit at the county championship at the end of the season. So on the cool-down, when I was talking to the rest of the team about their races and how they ran, I was (and I’m not kidding) completely giddy with excitement over how well the entire team had ran. Looking at the final results only confirmed what I had heard, as it seemed that nearly everyone had run a PR, many runners having huge improvements.

The course was similar to our regular home course, except that instead of turning right at the end of the trail and taking the trail that goes alongside Rock Creek back to Candy Cane (I hope older runners would know what I’m talking about, and I assume parents would have no idea what I am talking about), we simply turned around at the end of the rocky trail and ran single file the whole way back.

On the boy’s side, we knew that Wootton would be a tough team to beat, after they handily beat us in a scrimmage and again at the Woodward relays. The final score was B-CC 29, Wootton 28 (lowest score wins). With a goal of winning division 1, after losing to Wootton it looks like to win our division Sherwood would have to beat Wootton and we would have to beat Sherwood at our next dual meet, a very possible scenario that I believe according to the rules would set up a three-way tie for first place.

On the girl’s side, the final score was B-CC 20, Wootton 37. The B-CC girls ran impressive once again, and look like the team to beat in division 1 at this point.

While the team discussed some of the more impressive performances at practice today, there were some individual performances on the boys side I wanted to highlight:

Junior Peter Horton

When Junior Peter Horton first joined the B-CC cross country team, he struggled to finish his first ever 5k, crossing the finish line dazed and exhausted in over 26 minutes. He steadily improved, and by his sophomore year, with a summer of training under his belt, he started to show his emergence as an elite runner during outdoor track as he dropped his times to 4:30 for 1600m and 9:46 for 3200m, good for 9^th place at the state meet.

On Tuesday, at our first home meet of the season at candy cane city, Peter finished in an incredible 16:16, second place to only the 800m state champ and 4:16 1600m runner Josh Trzeciak from Wootton who finished in 16:12.

Frankly, this kind of performance out of ‘Big Pete’ didn’t surprise me, after we had spent much of the summer toning our hips, perfecting our arm swing, and running over 50 miles a week. A 16:16 doesn’t come from raw talent or even simply the workouts we run as a team, it comes from his passion for improving as a runner and from the miles we ran over the summer.

Alex Riishojgaard ran the first mile more aggressively than he had in previous races this season, coming through in 5:13 and finishing in 17:00, good for second on the team and fourth overall.

Nolan Ebner ran a new personal best (PR), finishing the 5k fourth on the team in 17:12, 50 seconds faster than he ran at this course at the same point last year.  After an impressive track season in which he dropped his 800m time to 2:01.51, good for 6^th in the region, he seems to be continuing to improve. In fact, B-CC’s top 4 looked especially good after Tuesday’s meet, and Peter, Alex, Me and Nolan all are way faster than we were at this point last year.

Sam Hainbach put in the summer miles this year, running over 50 miles a week for much of the summer, and it seems to be paying dividends already. He ran 18:47, an impressive 20 second PR, especially so considering how early it is in the season.

Leul Assamenew  ran outdoor track for the first time last year, PRing by 18 seconds in the 800 in 2:19. We didn’t really know what we had with Leul this year in his first year in cross country, but his 19:23 was good for 8^th on the team and  over 4 minutes faster than his time at Woodward Relays.

Juniors Leul Assamenew and Kevin Flores, and Freshman Chris Wilks

Liam McGowan and Colin Cowie finished side by side, both coming through the line in 20:03. Liam ran a lot this summer, and his 20:03 is a 24 second PR from the end of last year and nearly 3 minutes faster than he ran at Woodward Relays. Though I don’t have the results from the preseason blue and gold scrimmage, this was a huge improvement for Colin, at least a two minute PR.

Chris Wilks, also a freshman, ran strong, finishing in a pack of B-CC boys in 21:29. Chris has shown a lot of desire to improve, which as a runner is one of the most important things you can have.

One of the more memorable moments of the meet for me was watching freshman Philippe Masson chase down a Wootton runner from behind, gutting out a strong kick to finish in 23:22, a new PR. Close behind Philippe was Harrison Fang, also a freshman, who cut 6 minutes and 24 seconds off his Woodward relays time to finish in 23:40.

Kevin Flores ran nearly 9 minutes faster than his woodward relays time in a PR of 24:08. Jason Kohn PRed by 2 minutes and 14 seconds, finishing in 24:34.

Other PR performances: Kyle Nakasaka, Andrew Witten and Nick Kettler.

Here is a Running Maryland interview with the girls team to sum up their efforts on the day:

(http://www.runningmaryland.com/index.php?option=com_jomtube&view=video&id=11679&Itemid=319)

I thought Mara and Amanda Cohen deserved special recognition because it’s their birthday today. Happy birthday ladies.

Link to results:

http://www.mocorunning.com/meet.php?meet_id=2511

Link to Analysis by mocorunning:

http://www.mocorunning.com/article.php?article_id=771

Girls race: (short version)

http://www.runningmaryland.com/index.php?option=com_jomtube&view=video&id=11677&Itemid=319

Girls race: (long version)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIAZKpKWmok&feature=results_video

Boys race: (short)

http://www.runningmaryland.com/index.php?option=com_jomtube&view=video&id=11678&Itemid=319

Boys race: (long)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVBh7xTIASg&feature=plcp

Freshmen help girls to victory at Woodward Relays

By Chad Young

The B-CC cross-country teams opened their 2012 fall season with an unconventional six mile relay race around the hilly Georgetown Prep golf course on Tuesday. Each relay team consisted of two runners who alternated laps around the one mile course. The schools scored points based on the sum of their top three relay finishes, and the lowest the score won. After each lap they passed a baton off to their teammate, and after all six laps were complete, the B-CC teams showed they are ready for the season to begin.

Nervous freshmen on the girls team joined forces with top returners as B-CC claimed three of the top six places in the girls relay race. The veteran pairing of Senior Laura Nakasaka and Sophomore Nora McUmber led the way for the girls with a second place finish after a tough battle with a talented pair of Churchill runners. Capturing 4th place was the team of Sophomore Caroline Beakes and Freshman Abigail Levine. Rounding out the scoring in 6th were Sophomore Abby Fry and Freshman Lily O’Dowd.

Sophomore Nora McUmber

Freshman Lily O'Dowd

Senior Nick McGreivy

The boys team, led by Junior Peter Horton and Senior Nick McGreivy, finished an impressive 4th out of 16 teams. Horton and McGreivy completed their shared six miles in 34:50, good for 3rd place. Juniors Nolan Ebner and Alex Riishojgaard finished in 36:16 in 11th place while Junior Matt Boden and Senior Greg Picard crossed the line in 38:38 in 30th place. The boys have come a long way since the beginning of last season and are quickly establishing themselves as a respected, hard-to-beat team in the county this year.

Senior Greg Picard

Junior Sam Hainbach

Sam Hainbach and Liam McGowan led the way for the boys in the 3-mile race that followed the relays. Hainbach went out with the leaders and finished in the top five of the race in 21:31 with McGowan just over a minute behind in 22:52. The boys had a large group come in under 25 minutes including Leul Assamenew (23:40), Kyle Nakasaka (23:45), Lucas Beck (24:05), Chris Wilks (24:18), Colin Cowie (24:27), Thomas Mackell (24:46) and Ben Martel (24:49).

Junior Sarah Bien

Sarah Bien and Annie Sharkey led the way for the girls. Bien finshed the 3 mile course in 25:51, with Sharkey just behind in 26:25. The girls team had a nice pack as well finishing just under 28 minutes including Vaenessa Shu (27:18), Tess Joseph (27:45), Ali Friedman (27:47), and Alyssa Alfonso (27:57).






 The Woodward relays are just the start to a much-anticipated 2012 cross-country season. The Barons will compete at home with the Wootton Patriots on Tuesday September 11th at Candy Cane City. The girls will race at 3:30pm with the boys to follow around 4:15pm. We hope to see you there!

It rained PRs at the Katie Jenkins Invitational

By Emily Young

The forecast called for storms, and the clouds threatened to produce, but no precipitation fell from the sky at the Katie Jenkins Invitational on Saturday. It did, however, rain PRs.

In the first final of the day, the girls 4x800 relay, Sophomore Laila Ismail nervously stepped to the line to lead off for B-CC. A newcomer to the 800, Ismail wasn’t sure what to expect during the race, but she handled the pressure like a veteran, running a smart race and handing off the baton to Junior Caroline Leuba in second place. Her split of 2:24 is almost unheard of for a runner with such little experience in the 800.

After receiving the baton from Ismail, Leuba kept B-CC in contention for the win, battling back and forth with Largo’s runner for the lead. Leuba handed off to Junior Laura Nakasaka who solidified the lead for the Barons, a lead that Junior Brittney Wade was able to easily maintain as she cruised her way to the finish line more than 10 seconds ahead of runner-up Largo.

Ismail later dominated her heat of the 200 to finish second in a time of 26.24. She also teamed-up with Wade, Leuba, and Freshman Chelsea Folkes in the 4x400 to run a time of 4:06, the fastest time by a B-CC team this year, and the fastest time by a B-CC team in all of Coach Young’s years as a coach. 

Wade, who anchored both the 4x800 and the 4x400, also won the open 400 in a time of 58.47.

In the girls mile, Senior Ava Farrell and Freshman Caroline Beakes made quite a statement, finishing first and second respectively. Beakes recorded a personal-best time of 5:26.

Not to be outdone by his female counterparts, Sophomore Peter Horton also made his presence known in the mile, finishing second with a PR of 4:32.

In the boys 800, Senior Aidan Hennessey clocked a three second PR of 2:12, and Sophomore Nolan Ebner ran a PR of 2:03, a time he had split in the 4x800 relay but had yet to officially record in an open race. In the girls 800, Freshman Abby Fry took command of her heat after getting caught in the shuffle at the start. She regained her composure, calmly worked her way to the front of the pack, and maintained her lead for the remainder of the race. The initial results for the event were flawed, and even after revision her official time and place are still questionable; however, there is no mistaking the fact that she ran significantly faster in the event than she has all season.

In the 3200, Junior Nick McGreivy (10:29) and Freshman Sam Baker (10:38) ran their fastest times ever in the event.

Alex Riishojgaard Matt Boden also improved his 3200 time by two seconds after eating two cheeseburgers 15 minutes before his race. Boden, who filled in for Riishojgaard at the last minute, credits his cheeseburger-induced stomachache with the improvement in both his time and his form.

But distance and mid-distance runners weren’t the only ones to make a statement. In the 300 Hurdles, Junior Eugenia Wilson finished fourth in a season-best time of 48.56. She also finished fifth in the 100 Hurdles.

Freshman Orlando Pinder also lowered his 300 Hurdles time to 51.42. Pinder and fellow Freshman Liam McGowan both jumped new lengths in the triple jump, recording marks of 33’ 1.5” and 30’ 11.5” respectively.

Junior Luidgi Morton also ran and jumped his way to PRs on Saturday, running 12.1 in the 100 meters and jumping 17’ 4.75” in the long jump.

Many of the throwers also had a record-breaking day on Saturday. Freshman Olea Rugamayo threw a new best of 61’ 8” in the discus, Senior Mike Nyarko threw a season-best 42’ in the shot put, and Junior Anthony Royster improved in both, throwing 38’10” in the shot put and 92’ 4” in the disc. Also establishing a personal record was Freshman Justine Berard who threw the shot 20’ 6”.

The Barons will compete this week at the county championships.  The championship meet is at Walter Johnson on Wednesday at 3:30pm.  The county B meet is on Saturday at Wootton beginning at 8:00am.

Wade breaks meet record in 800 meters

By Emily Young

 By her own admission, Junior Brittney Wade hasn’t been feeling particularly sprightly on the track these days. The combination of grueling mid-season workouts and late nights doing schoolwork has left her feeling tired and her legs feeling heavy and sluggish. Her first race of the day at the Viking Invitational seemed to reflect this fatigue.

Arriving to the meet with only a few minutes to warm-up, Wade ran the anchor leg of the 4x800 looking and feeling tight and labored. So as she stepped to the line for the open 800, she didn’t know what to expect. She knew she wanted to win and that she was facing one of her toughest competitors in Severna Park’s Ashley Hayes, but what she didn’t know was how her legs would respond.

When the gun went off, Wade and Hayes took an immediate lead, running stride for stride for the first 400 meters and opening up a large lead on the rest of field. Around the 400 meter mark, Hayes took a slight lead, but Wade kept her within striking distance, and with a little over 100 meters to go, Wade made her move, sprinting past Hayes and creating an insurmountable lead.

 Wade crossed the finish line in 2:12.26, nearly 4 seconds ahead of Hayes. The time was a 3 second PR for Wade and a Viking Invitational record.

 Also in the 800 was B-CC Sophomore Helen Webster who has been outstanding this season. After getting boxed at the beginning of the race, Webster broke out and ran an impressive 2:23.1.

 Other notable 800 performances came from both the boys and girls’ 4x800 relay teams. Junior Caroline Leuba, Senior Ava Farrell, Senior Hallie Jester, and Wade ran an extremely competitive race and earned a victory in the event with a combined time of 9:36.26.

 Sophomore Peter Horton, Junior Nick McGreivy, Sophomore Matt Boden, and Senior Aidan Hennessey competed for B-CC in the boys’ 4x800. While each of the boys competed extremely well, Boden in particular showed a great deal of confidence and determination as he hunted down runners en route to a monstrous 10 second PR of 2:15.

 Also running a personal-best time was Caroline Beakes in the 3200 meter run. Beakes employed her usual strategy of maintaining a comfortable position before starting her gradual but dangerous kick towards the end of the race. Her time of 11:40 was good for 4th place in the event.

 Freshman Chelsea Folkes ran an exciting open 400 meters, finishing 10th out of 45 competitors. Her time of 61.7 was a personal-best for the promising young runner. In the 300 hurdles, Freshman Sisan Dorsu ran a personal-best of 51.47, and Junior Eugenia Wilson won her heat and finished 7th in 49.06, her fastest time of the season.

 A number of personal records were also set in the field events. Both Sophomore Kenny Norris and Freshman Kyle Nakasaka recorded their farthest jumps in the triple jump, leaping 39’8” and 32’11 ½ ” respectively. Norris finished 6th in the event.

 Junior Nick McGreivy tied for 4th in the high jump with a leap of 5’ 6”. His previous best jump of 5’4” was set just last week at Wootton. He is making quick progress in the event and scoring valuable points for the Barons in the process.

 There are no local meets this week or weekend. Coach Young and Coach Emily will be traveling to Philadelphia on Thursday with Webster, Farrell, Wade, and Junior Laura Nakasaka for the Penn Relays, one of the most prestigious high school, college, and professional track meets in the country. The girls will compete in the 4x800, an event that they had to run a qualifying time for. Make sure to wish the girls luck!