2014 XC Season

Sectionals 11.1

Kenneth and Jaime ended their Cross Country careers on a high note today at Sectionals. We found the Busse Woods course in Schaumburg in great shape but with high winds and temperatures hovering just over freezing. All said, this was perfect conditions for runners who thrive in cold conditions! We were joined by ten other men from the team who came to push these two and cheer around the course. Many of our alumni runners sent letters of encouragement as well! I encourage both runners to run free of all stress and expectations, for this race was a reward for their hard work this season; their racing would prove that they took these words to heart. We arrived early and cheered on Mary and Ana as they ran in the girls race at 10:00.

After an extended warm-up to ward off the cold, Kenneth and Jaime took to the line. With their box being dead-center, they were in good position to shoot for the first turn without having to battle inwards against the pack. As the gun went off, they both got out smartly and the pack closed around them--I did not see it, but apparently a number of runners fell in front of them in what Kenneth described as "trying out all the scorpion positions," but the official did not call them back and the race was on.

They got through the mile in good time. Kenneth had an edge on Jaime by 8 people, swinging through at 5:20 and Jaime at 5:24 as both worked in the back third of the pack. On the second loop I had cautioned both to "stay awake" due to the repetition, and they did a pretty good job here as well. Passing the second mile mark, Jaime had taken a 10-second lead on Kenneth and was moving steadily up; Kenneth gamely reset and rolled forward as well. Coming out of the trees at the top of the course, Jaime had a particularly nice downhill sprint that took him to the outside of the lane to pass a number of competitors with an open downhill stride. He worked hard right into the chute, blasting past both a small squad of competitors and his standing PR of 16:53 from Conference to finish with a 17-second PR time of 16:36! Kenneth rolled hard into the chute as well, logging a nice 16:58 finish. Kenneth ran 17:48 on this same course last year--what growth over the past year! Great work gentlemen!

This was a great race for both. I am incredibly proud of their hard work and in their progress making it to Sectionals to continue the tradition of ZB representation at this competition. Both Jaime and Kenneth showed today that logging in countless miles and running without restraint in races can lead to great successes for those committed to bettering their team and their person. I am equally proud of the team that has continue to support them, though their season did not include this race. This team has grown immensely. Continued dedication to their craft this winter will set them up for a promising track season this spring!

Zee Bees-- thank you for a wonderful Cross Country season! In the words of Winston Churchill, "this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." There are great heights to be yet achieved, and through hard work we can get there as a team this year. Stay hungry, continue to forge the pack, and train to take our competition to the highest level!

Regionals 10.25

The Bees traveled to Libertyville's Adler Park today for the Regional competition. In this race we could only compete as a Varsity team, but there was again this year the excellent opportunity for an Open race after it was done. John, Desmond, Kenneth, Sergio, Jaime, Collin, and Joseph represented ZBXC against seven other teams. We needed to place in the top six to make it to Sectionals as a team, but unfortunately fell short of our goal of beating Mundelein and Round Lake. We did, however, celebrate two individuals qualifying for Sectionals: Jaime and Kenneth!

It was a rare warm late October day with temperatures soaring to the low 70s and the atmosphere energizing and sunny. The Varsity took to the line in good form. We had talked strategy previously and run on the course this week. I had advised taking the second mile particularly seriously, being especially aggressive in the upper woods. We drew a good box and got out well through the first turn 150m down the hill. Desmond, Kenneth, and Jaime took positions in the mid-pack, Collin a few seconds behind them, and our final three packing it up near the back. Through the first mile Kenneth and Desmond had put some distance on their teammates but still retained mid-pack status. In the upper woods on their first loop our top three reordered, with Kenneth leading, followed by Jaime and Desmond. Collin began to move up at this time, with John and Joseph working together just behind Sergio. At the two mile mark our positions were consistent but were not moving on our two target opponents; Mundelein's top 6 were ahead of ours, as were two Round Lake runners. Our runners had nice kicks in the final 400m, especially Kenneth and Jaime. Kenneth emerged as our first man, neck-in-neck with a Libertyville and Mundelein runner right into the chute--he beat the latter by less than a half of a second (17:20). Jaime surged in a half second behind Bryce Richards of Mundelein (17:29) as our second man, followed by Desmond at 17:52. Collin had a particularly aggressive finish as well, narrowly beating a Libertyville jersey in the final 10m (18:06). Sergio (18:30), John (18:35), and Joseph (18:58) rounded off our pack.

As the results would reveal, five individuals were able to advance to Sectionals. Round Lake took three of these slots, while the other two went to Kenneth and Jaime for their finishing positions. The season, unfortunately, was over for the rest of our squad.

Immediately following the Regional race we had an Open race, another fantastic racing opportunity for the rest of our guys. Rod, Warren, Zack, Austin, Delown, and K-Man represented ZBXC in this race, and all took off relaxed and focused. Delown took the lead for our pack, finding a nice pace. Warren moved aggressively as our 2nd man, followed by Zack and Rod as a packed duo and immediately trailed by Kenneth and Austin. Around the course these six runners looked good. They seemed relieved of pressure and relaxed in their form. Delown surged into a great finish to beat a pack of three opponents, and Warren locked in our #2, followed closely by Rod. Zack had quite a finish too, his stride overtaking two Round Lake runners right at the line. Austin rounded off our pack with a nice uphill stride and solid finish.

This wasn't the day we were hoping for when we took to the line, yet it was the race we ran today. We simply could not get enough positions ahead of Mundelein and Round Lake to qualify our team--both other teams had a similar plan and were able to get the majority of their packs ahead of ours. It was a mix of emotions for our team seeing the outcome, but on the positive side we have seen a great uptick in team spirit and support that will mean more in the long run than any individual points or scoring ever will. Moving into this next week, we will work hard to get these two the energy and vision they need to reach new heights of greatness!

Race Car 10.21

Collin with his prize for his 11th place finish!

We traveled to Buffalo Grove for the annual Frosh-Soph Race Car Invite today. The weather was chillier than normal with cold winds, but the mood in the bus was great and the boys took to the line ready to fight around the flat 2.0 mile course against eleven other schools. Though this was a short course and we did not have data to really compare it against, it was a great opportunity to run hard and see what they could do. Coming off of our Conference successes, they had a lot of energy and excitement for this race, less the pressure of racing against upperclassmen.

The freshmen pack ran first. Collin had told me before the race that he wanted to earn a race car award, and he went out looking to bring it home. He led our pack on the first mile, dodging between 15th and 20th place as the pack surged on the turns. He led with a strong 11th place overall finish (11:12), and did indeed win his race car! Zack ran as our second man, pushing hard for a nice 12:08 finish and very even splits. Joel and Jalan ran in very close proximity, with both making a final 250m kick that outpaced several opponents and earned them 12:26 and 12:27 finishes respectively. Trysten was our fifth and final runner, with his kick outpacing a Niles West runner and earning him a 13:28 finish.

Our sophomores ran next, having seen the race run once and commenting on how fast and flat the course appeared. They got out in excellent fashion, with Joseph taking an early lead of the ZB pack and Sergio trailing close behind. Mikey and Rod packed up as well and looked aggressive on their first mile. In the second mile, Sergio moved up with a nice display of energy to pass Joseph and start working himself up toward the top 25. He cracked the top 30 but finished in 29th place, tying Collin's earlier finish at 11:12 but not quite earning a car. Joseph was our second man at 11:40 with a kick that narrowly overtook a Downer's Grove and Wheaton North duo. Mikey ran for an excellent finish as well (12:31) that narrowly beat a Naperville North runner, and Rod finished hard at 13:01. Rod had a particularly noteworthy move with .5 mile left, running a little extra distance outside of a huge pack to pass every one of his nearby opponents!

Overall, this was a good, fast race for our young pack. These men are the future of our team, and their hard work now and in the coming years is going to pay off handsomely. They have come together and charted excellent progress over the course of this season, and have seen a great many successes achieve between them. Their aggressive starts, knowledge of course strategy ("running smart"), and fighting finishes distinguish this group as one that is always motivated to run for each other and run better each day. With this outlook there are no limits to what this group can achieve!

Conference 10.18

Today was truly the best race day we have had this entire season. And best of all, it happened at one of the most crucial races of the season: Conference. We trekked to Lake Forest and met with twelve other teams on a relatively flat course with cool temperatures. It had rained hard this week, casting doubt on the likelihood of firm racing conditions. This was the last opportunity for all runners to compete, however, and our men rose to this opportunity with a palpable hunger for competition.

Varsity raced first today. Our top seven broke out the brilliant yellow Varsity jerseys for the first time today--and they raced like a new team. They got out in good position with the funneling 200m out of the start, and by the mile all were running in great form. Desmond and Kenneth were together in the low 5s at this point, with Jaime and Collin trailing by a narrow margin and John, Sergio, and Joseph packed together well. Their first lap around the infield stretched the race field out a little, but all looked to be in good form. On the final 600m out of the woods and to the finish, Desmond had locked in a spot in the top 30, with Kenneth a dozen positions behind him. Desmond surged in with a fantastic kick and great form for a PR 16:06 time, 24th place finish, and All-Conference Honors! Kenneth rolled hard for 16:47 and our second finishing position, followed closely by Jaime--Jaime turned on a mind-blowing sprint in the final 150 that blew past four competitors right into the chute and earned himself a nice PR 16:53 and his first sub-17 break! Collin sprinted in soon after for his third consecutive PR as well, running 17:07 and 28 seconds better than last Wheeling. John and Sergio stuck together and worked hard to finish together, passing several competitors together in the final stretch and finishing at 17:23 and 17:24 respectively. Both earned PR times, John by thirty seconds and Sergio finally achieving a major breakthrough over his 2013 time set at Peoria. Joseph ran in as our 7th man with a strong kick as well and 17:34 finish.

Zion finished 10/13 today with a 16:52 average and 77-second split. This 16:52 is our best average so far this season!

Our Frosh-Soph team ran next with six runners taking the line. Their competitive spirit was contagious at the line, and they would all run nice races. Zack took the lead for the ZB pack by the mile mark, followed closely by Mikey and Rod. Zack maintained his strong race fora full 37-second PR finish and outstanding kick that broke him into the 18s for the first time this season (18:44)! Mikey finished as our #2 with better form that showed a positive recovery from his ankle injury two weeks ago (18:52). Rod was immediately behind him, surging forward with Joel. Rod (18:55) ran just one second shy of his PR, while Joel earned one by four seconds (19:02)! Jalan ran a great race, his determination smashing past the 20:00 PR (and a Mundelein runner right at the chute!) to run 19:29 and his third consecutive PR! Trysten rounded out our squad with a 21:35 finish. This also marked his third consecutive PR and 17-second PR!

We had our final four runners in the Open race. With four races already run, the course was quickly turning muddy with several patches heavily churned from the strides of 600 previous runners. Delown got out really fast, which he needed to with no less than a horde of 100 Libertyville runners crowding our box, and was closely followed by Warren and K-Man at the mile mark. Austin worked really hard with a great stride and form unlike any he has had all season. By the time Delown had launched out of the woods into the final stretch I could tell he was on the road to a nice PR. He kicked well into the chute for what did prove to be a nice PR 17:37, his first sub-18 finish, and a 25th place finish that earned him a ribbon! Congratulations Delown! Warren rolled in next with another great finish and 31-second PR for a breakthrough 18:19! He was followed by K-Man's season best 19:37 finish and a kick that overtook and narrowly beat two Libertyville and one Lake Forest runner in the last strides of the race! Austin had the best race of his life. His stride and kick were the best I have seen him run all season, and he dropped 1:04 for a 25:15 PR finish!

At the awards later on that evening, Desmond received All-Conference honors for his finish among the top 30 in the Conference! Delown also received a ribbon for his race. The Sportsmanship Award was earned by David Duarte this year, and I had the honor of presenting it to him tonight. David has experienced a number of injury setbacks this year that resulted in him not being able to run in any races. Despite this, he came to every practice determined to help his team, went to the meets to time and push on the packs, and demonstrated selfless support for his teammates. He has truly embodied the ideals of the Sportsmanship Award and I am very proud of how he has defined his senior year!

It was truly a great day. The numbers themselves are nice: our best Varsity average and no less than 13 PRs out of 17 runners. But most importantly, our packs pulled together in a TEAM EFFORT that truly embodies our #irunforthem mantra. They ran hard but found ways to support each other in every way, both from the sidelines and in the races. Today epitomizes the strong reinvention of ZBXC that we have seen in the past weeks, with the team running in sync and with great personal and team successes. I am very proud of what we accomplished today. I am certain that in one week we will take the field at Regionals ready for a shot at Sectionals!

Wheeling Invitational 10.11

While unfortunately I was not able to be at this meet with the boys, Coach Shorey took the boys down to the Allstate Campus in Northbook for this nice Saturday race. With temperatures in the mid 50s and sunny conditions, they found a rather soggy low course along the highway, which inevitably proved challenging for our race. Our team had, however, a great outlook going into the race and had put much thought into the way they wanted the season to progress after these last few races.

I made the decision not to run our freshmen in the sub-3 mile race, instead having them run together with the sophomore/JV pack in the 3.0 mile Open Race. This is training them better for the remaining 3-mile races this season, and gives them the opportunity to work together. Thus, the Varsity ran first today.

A summation of the race can best be described as one of good effort. I challenged the boys before the meet to run hard on the areas where the other runners might feel comfortable, and lengthen their kicks on the final loop of the large field. Kenneth ran a nice second half, gaining solid ground as he moved up to Desmond in the mid-field positions. Kenneth would race hard to finish as our first man today (16:48), narrowly edging Desmond by one second (16:49) for 73rd and 74th finishing positions. Jaime ran solidly as our #3 (17:33), followed by Collin two seconds later (17:35). Collin's time proved to be a 1-second PR over his best just recently set at Stevenson. John ran a nice race to finish at 17:53, matching his PR at Blue Devil! This is no easy feat on a course so different from the flat Warren course--well done John! Joseph and Sergio rounded off our Varsity pack at 18:04 and 18:06 respectively. These two have learned to run together and share the work in races. Varsity finished #17/20 teams with a 64-second split and 17:20 average--our second-best average this season!

We saw some very solid successes in the Open race today as well! Delown got out in great position and worked aggressively up the pack, finishing as our lead runner with a time of 18:19. Warren locked in a nice race as our 2nd man, running a PR 18:50! Our third proved to be Zack, who beat his Blue Devil PR by five seconds to finish with a fantastic 19:30! Rod (19:45) and Jalan (20:00) came in next, Jalan running a 2-second PR over his best set at Stevenson; he is certainly poised to break into the 19s this next week. K-Man ran a season best 20:44, followed by Trysten's major break into the 21s to run a PR 21:52! Our final runner, and another notable achievement, was Austin. He ran 26:19, a full 1:16 PR over his best set at Blue Devil! Congratulations to these guys on all these PRs!

I was very happy to hear about the personal bests set at Wheeling, and the collective team mindset that drove these men to these heights. We run Conference this next week and will need to bring this same hunger and mindset to run even greater races. Anything is possible this next week!

Stevenson Dual 10.6

We approached the last dual meet of the season with cautious optimism. After a nice week of hard work and a notable workout on Saturday, I felt that we were ready to give Stevenson a run for their money at their home course at Half Day Forest Preserve. The weather was comfortable in the 60s as we placed fifteen ZeeBees against more than twice as many Stevenson runners. We didn't have much time to assess the windy, wooded trails, but instead warmed up and discussed our plan to go out with their top pack and run the race with them. Each runner knew that he needed to make each place count.

As the gun went off our runners got off to a nice start. In the first 800m we had a fantastic top pack of six running with Stevenson's top nine. Our middle guys were pulling together and jostling for position on a trail where three could easily run abreast. I saw them again at the 1.5, at which time the top pack had separated over 50-60m and Stevenson had three right with Desmond, with Kenneth trailing by 10' and Jaime locking in our #3 30m distant, followed closely by Sergio, Collin, Joseph, and Warren. Our middle consolidated into a beautiful pack: Delown led, with Zack and Rod at his shoulders and Joel and Jalan immediately behind them with two Stevenson runners in between. Both Trysten and Austin were dueling with rivals at this point.

I saw them again in the final 400m approach to the finish. At this point it had become apparent that Stevenson was not taking the race as seriously as we were. Their top runners were talking and rolling comfortably, and were in good shape to accelerate the last 800m to lock down the race. Our guys were holding together admirably but simply were our of fuel by the time Stevenson decided to kick. Stevenson put their top three 15:55-16:30, with Desmond kicking hard to be our first man and fourth overall with a time of 16:43. Kenneth and Jaime both ran nice second halves too, finish at #7 and 8 respectively (17:08 and 17:10), with Jaime earning a 9 second PR! Collin kicked nicely for a PR as well as our 4th man, besting his Blue Devil time by 2 seconds for a finish of 17:36! Joseph finished as our 5th (17:53, 14th overall), followed a second later by John (17:54, one second off his PR!) and then by Sergio as our 7th man (17:59).

After a minute gap, our next pack approached the finish with a vengeance. Their kicks were nice in the final 250m. Warren led this group with a 19:10 finish, followed closely by Delown (19:12), Rod (19:17), and Zack's 5-second PR 19:21! Joel fought hard for a 20:00 finish, with Jalan mustering an admirable kick to finish right on his heels at 20:02 for a fantastic 28 second PR! Trysten then displayed one of the best kicks we have seen him perform this season. He was narrowly beat in the last dual at Wauconda right at the chute, and I could see in his expression today that he was not going to let Nai of Stevenson gain the edge on him as they sprinted stride-for-stride. Trysten punched it in hard to narrowly beat this competitor and earn a PR of 19 seconds (22:10)! Austin finished next with a 27:51 and nice final stride as well.

Overall, we came away with mixed emotions and several take-aways from this racing experience. We celebrated five nice PRs, but the men articulated that they feel they could have performed better. They were disappointed in the evident lack of serious racing, even though we still did not win the dual. We showed growth and promise in our tighter packs and teammate support. I saw some nice, aggressive moves as our guys pushed themselves out of their comfort zones. I believe, though, that we used our energy both mentally and physically engaging in "holding with them" rather than looking for a competitive edge. We will need to practice smart running, especially with stamina and striding in the final mile of races. We can certainly go out with them--we will be facing some fast teams, and Stevenson again, in the near future. Our boys are eager for a re-match, and they will get the opportunity as we moved toward our final season meets.

Saturday, 10.4.14
ZBXC turned on BEAST MODE.

Wauconda Quad 9.29

We traveled back for our third time this season to Lakewood Forest Preserve for our second to last Monday meet of the season. We faced off against Wauconda, Vernon Hills, and Lake Zurich. The latter two teams have consistently placed in the top three of our conference, with Lake Zurich going undefeated for past six years--we knew it would be a tough meet but still toed the starting line with resolve to run hard. Our strategy was the get as many of our guys in between theirs, breaking up the larger packs. With sixteen men we knew the challenge was real, but our men relished the opportunity to race against with this competition. Of interesting note was the weather--it was 82 degrees when we warmed up, but one hour later it had dropped to below 60 as a storm front rapidly moved in. Odd!

We opened well. Desmond, Kenneth, Warren, and Jaime surged toward the front of the pack, with Joseph, Collin, Delown, and John packing close together and just ahead of our Mikey-Rod-K-Man pack. Zack and Jalan banded together as well, followed closely by Trysten and Austin--all looked great in the first 800m and strong going into the woods toward the mile mark. At the 1.5 Desmond was edged by a pack of LZ/VH top runners, and closely hounded by several more blue jerseys. Jaime moved smartly up to Kenneth and Joseph/Sergio rolled close together. I saw some nice moved at this point as the runners passed me, with Delown and Mikey surging ahead of multiple competitors and Zack moving up to K-Man. Trysten placed himself firmly in front of a pair of VH runners here as well.

On the next lap with 400m to go, the LZ/VH pack had moved farther ahead to finish in the mid 15's. Desmond worked hard to close up a gap and finish just 5 seconds behind two VH runners (17:19). Jaime emerged from the woods as our #2 runner, having just overtaken Kenneth in a gutsy push in the second trail lap. He held his position firmly as he kicked in the final 400m, narrowly beating a VH runner into the chute by less than 1 second(!) for a finish time of 17:28. Kenneth locked in our #3 (17:51) with a gutsy push and 2-second lead over a LZ competitor. Sergio and Joseph worked together right into the chute to finish at 18:20 and 18:21 respectively, followed closely by Collin (18:29), who broke up a LZ pack right at the finish. John and Delown proved a pair of be reckoned with as well, sprinting well and edging the second Wauconda runner with finish times of 18:44 and 18:46. Rod edged a pair of LZ runners right at the finish and nearly caught the four that finished within three seconds of him for a nice finish kick (20:18), followed closely by Mikey (20:45) and Zack (20:53). Jalan repeated his signature final 400m charge, displaying aggressive footwork that put him ahead of a large pack of LZ/VH runners (21:25). K-Man sped in at 22:12, followed by Trysten (23:11) and Austin (28:56).

Overall, we lost in points to both Lake Zurich and Vernon Hills, but soundly beat Wauconda. We did not chart any PRs either, and took some time at the end to process our racing strategies. I have challenged the team, moving forward, to visualize the end of their season and reinvent themselves in the way they want to be remembered. It was tough returning to race after the Palatine weekend, but we need to stay both mentally and physically tough--already the sickness and injuries have taken a huge toll on our team stamina, but with two and a half weeks to Conference we will have to find the strength to realize our potential. I was very impressed with the start and finishes today, and we will work on honing our speed and middle-mile splits as we go forward this week.

Palatine 9.27

It was a challenging race day at our second visit to the Palatine Invitational. We did not show up at full strength, as seven of our twenty runners were out either sick or injured. I told the runners to throw aside any perceptions of pressure or external factors that might hinder them, and to run fast races with high-level competition. We ran five guys in the 2.5 mile Freshman race, one in the Sophomore race, five in the Varsity, and two in the Open race.

We opened on a beautiful morning with the 2.5 mile Freshman race. Collin went out for a hard lead of the ZB pack, with Joel, Jalan, and Zack running in very close proximity the whole race. Trysten found a York runner glued to him the entire time, matching him stride-for-stride to the finish. On the one section where the field narrowed onto a trail, Jalan, our man who thrives in tight spaces, weove aggressively among the competition, who appeared visibly baffled at his moved (and slowed!). He emerged in good position on the other side. Zack trailed by Joel by just one runner at the halfway point. On the final 300m we kicked quite well, using the downhill finish in good form. Collin finished as our first man (14:27), followed by Zack as our #2 (15:53), Joel (16:00), Jalan (16:13), and Trysten (18:33). Our Freshman pack is one of the strongest and hardest-working I've ever coached, and while we don't have a 2.5 mile race to compare this one to, they ran well and should be proud!

Mikey was our sole runner in the 3.0 mile Sophomore race. This is a tough challenge, but Mikey took it head-on and represented ZBXC well. He found himself surrounded by York, Stevenson, and Libertyville runners for most of the race, who gamely fought his increasing strides. He appeared boxed in for the first mile, but after that found a good rhythm and finished well at 19:22, his second-fastest time this season.

We were only able to race five men in the Varsity race. They took the line knowing that there was no buffer--top five scores are counted, so each of them must score as highly as possible. Desmond was out today, and I challenged them to each seek the #1 varsity spot. After the gun Kenneth seized this rank, followed closely by Sergio and Jaime at the 1-mile. John and Joseph banded together farther back. At the 1.5 Sergio and Jaime put a pack of Lake Zurich and Libertyville guys behind them, while Kenneth was being hounded in the narrow trail just ahead of them. John took a 20-yard lead on Joseph at this point. By the final 400m, Jaime had made an incredible move and surged ahead of Kenneth to finish as our top varsity runner of the day and sole PR winner with a time of 17:19, a full 20 seconds faster than his time at Peoria. Congratulations Jaime! Kenneth rolled in next at 17:51, followed closely by Sergio (18:03). John had a great kick to finish thirty seconds later (18:33), with Joseph hot on his heels (18:38).

In the final race of the day the heat had kicked in and the runners were sweating before even leaving the line. Austin and Delown represented ZBXC in this race, and both had great starts. Delown fought a Barrington-Stevenson trio for much of the race, while Austin displayed a particularly gutsy first half. Both also had good strides leading to the finish, finishing at 18:46 and 28:56 respectively.

Overall, we were not at our peak today. Our diminished numbers made the team racing more difficult, but we also did not respond quite as energetically to the fast competition as we had done at Peoria and Warren. Running smartly on this course was also tough, but we made some nice moves on the trail and second mile, but we will need to extend our strides for future races. Like most runners, we kicked hardest when we could actually see the finish line and not before then at the 400m mark. But we did see some aggressive moves out on the course and felt a taste of what the later Conference, Regional, and Sectional races might be like with other fast teams. Jaime ran our sole PR and made a nice move to the top of our pack today! I hope this ignites a similar fire in the rest of our pack to seek greatness!

Blue Devil 9.20

Conditions were perfect today for the annual Warren Blue Devil Invitational. Historically, we have excelled as as both individuals and as a team in this meet, and with its three flat loops through manageable grass and packed gravel trails there are many opportunities for aggressive moves. We ran against twenty other teams this year on a morning with temps perfectly in the low 60s. We were as ready as we could be, preparing with visualization and mile interval training to best prepare for this course.

I ran our younger Varsity men in the F-S race. Altogether, this was our biggest race with nine guys taking the line. When the gun went off, they lunged forward eagerly and quickly vanished into the pack of 284 runners. In the first mile Joseph, Sergio, and Collin found places in the top 50 and set nice paces. Rod and Joel ran in close proximity, pulling off Mikey's aggressive mile pace. Jalan, Zack, and Trysten rounded off our pack, each taking advantage of the course to work up the ladder of runners. By the midpoint and second mile, Collin had charged up to our #1 man and remain in the constantly-changing top 50. Sergio and Joseph pulled together and kicked very well, side-by-side, in the last 300m. Collin ran in in 48th place to earn a medal and a PR 17:38, a full 30 seconds better than his previous best at Peoria. Congratulations Collin!

Joseph and Sergio finished at 54th (17:44) and 56th (17:47) respectively, with Sergio charting a season best by eight seconds! Mikey had a beautiful race. He has made great progress this season, but this one topped them all so far! He stayed awake and moved aggressively the entire race, earning a lifetime best by 62 seconds over his PR from the Warren Tri on the same course in 2013. Today he ran 18:18! Great job Mikey! Our next runner was Joel, who shaved off a full 14 seconds for a great PR 19:06 and a great kick. Zack was next and also ran a huge PR--by 40 seconds! He charted an impressive 19:26 to break into the 19s for the first time in his life! Rod rolled in next at 20:00 after a tough race, followed soon after by Jalan. Jalan ran with footwork and weaving moves in the last 200m that would have rivaled any obstacle course master as he dashed between bunches of finishers to earn a huge PR 20:30, a full 60 second better than his time on Monday! Trysten rounded off the ZB F-S pack, displaying great form and a fantastic 300m kick that beat out a Northbrook runner into the chute. He also ran a huge PR: 34 seconds for a 22:29 finish. GREAT JOB F-S!

The Varsity ran next and had a little bit of trouble staying afloat in the fast field of competition. They got out in great position overall in the first half of the race but we will need to work on moving up in the latter half to maintain those key positions. Desmond and Kenneth fought to stay in the top echelon, but with four Warren runners, three from Wheeling, and three from Northbrook in the top 15 we were slightly outmatched at the top. Jaime, John, and Delown locked in middle-pack positions, while Bradley and Warren fought just behind them in a field of 140 runners. Desmond ran for a 50th place finish (16:37) and earning a medal! Kenneth came in just over 17 minutes (17:06), followed thirty seconds later by Jaime's great kick and 2-second PR (17:37) over his time at Peoria last weekend! John threw down his signature charge in the last 200m and passed a number of his competitors on his way to the chute and 9-second PR (17:53)! Next was Delown, who reset at the 300m mark and surged ahead well to finish at 18:13. Warren (19:22) and Bradley (21:57) rounded off our Varsity pack today for a 16/20 team placing and 17:29 average.

The Open Race was the last of the day, and Austin and K-Man resiliently took the line to represent the ZeeBees! Both looked great and hungry for racing in their warm-up, and as soon as the race started I knew they could translate this into great running form. K-Man ran mid-pack against a large group that fed off his energy and kept pushing him. Austin, similarly, displayed great focus as he rounded the course each lap. K-Man kicked very well into the chute for a season PR 20:55; Austin charged through to drop a phenomenal 1:53 for a finish time of 27:03. Both have PR'd in every race so far this season. Excellent work gentlemen!

Overall, we put 9 lifetime and 2 season PRs on the board, meaning 61% of our runners set a record today! The teamwork in the F-S race was a huge breakthrough too--and I hope it will translate in value to our future meets this season. Our Varsity composition was also different with our F-S running in their own race, and it was a good opportunity for them to reach out and pack up with each other. There were many nice breakthroughs today, but some opportunities too. We will need to learn to run well in repetitive courses, finding those opportunities to reset and stay aggressive. We will be working on our form and honing our speedwork in the coming weeks, and maintaining the great momentum of these PRs as we move forward. I am proud of the collective effort put forth today, and cannot wait to see how their progress manifests itself next Saturday at Palatine. Stay strong, Bees, and keep moving forward!

Home 9.15

We have only one home meet this year. We took to our home course at the Leisure Center on a rainy Monday following our breakthrough weekend at Wauconda and Peoria. It is tough to come back from hard racing and rest for one day, yet our young men did just that and showed grit as we faced down two of the more difficult teams in our conference: Warren and Libertyville. We took the the line with 18 men for our second tri meet of the year. Between the other two teams we hosted 162 other runners. On the line our maroon pack made a small impression against a sea of blue and orange; when the gun went off, however, we established ourselves well.

The lead pack went out hard. Warren's Macuiba, Kellerhals, and Martinez rode out the race with Desmond and Libertyville's Seneczko. It was a hard-fought race, with a pack of opponents on each of our guys as they fought through the first mile and attacked the woods loop "twilight zone." Kenneth fought valiantly against a swarm from Libertyville, gaining on them halfway through the race but they ended up pulling away in the final 800m. I was able to see our runners into the woods and as they rounded the "goose" field, and I saw some notable surges on this opening. Joseph and Collin worked well together, as did Jalan and K-Man; the photos below show the depth of the packs following each of our runners! Coming through the second mile and around the field, we appeared to have expended a little too much energy in the woods. There were some good resets here through--Mikey and Rod moved up and Joel and Bradley surged together into the last lap. Trysten and Austin also showed a renewed energy for their final lap.

The finishes were very well executed today. Macuiba locked in the first position with ease, with Desmond fighting neck and neck to narrowly beat Libertyville's Richardson at the chute for an overall 6th place finish (16:35)! Kenneth was our #2 man in 10th place overall (17:10) with a hard-won battle against four opponents over the last 200m. Jaime established himself again as our #3 (18:06) with a kick that narrowly place himself in front of a pack of five Warren runners. Joesph (18:16) and Collin (18:22) sprinted to the finish in close succession, with Delown overtaking a pair of guys in the final stretch for an 18:37 finish as our 6th man. Rod and Mikey finished nicely at 19:16 and 19:24 respectively, with Warren (19:53), Bradley and Joel (20:05 both), and Zack not far behind. Zack ran a fantastic 1:07 PR for a time of 20:16! Sergio, battling a week of respiratory sickness, ran with everything he had for a 20:24 finish, an admirable one considering his health. Thirty runners later K-Man (21:28) and Jalan (21:30) kicked together with a fantastic final 400 for both of them--Jalan ran a breakthrough 46-second PR! Trysten (23:57) and Austin both had aggressive final miles, and admirable kicks. Austin dropped 1:05 from two days before for a PR 28:56. In the last two days he has beat his previous best by over ten minutes!

It is difficult to race after a hard weekend, but this is a growing experience for our team. We are learning to mentally focus and stay tough in all conditions. On our home course we needed a little more energy to boost against two big teams; our effort was excellent but the depth of the competition measured in a ratio of 9:1 to our team was difficult to overcome. We had some excellent first and second mile moves, which we will need to continue to hone moving forward. We run again on Saturday at Warren in the Blue Devil Invite, an historically-fast meet and an excellent opportunity to move forward into another great racing weekend.

In a concluding note, THANK YOU to all our runners, alumni, and supporters for coming out and supporting us in our home meet! The hard work you put in to setting it up and helping it run efficiently made it an excellent meet. Well done and keep up the good work!

Wauconda/Peoria 9.13

This weekend we split the team between two racing opportunities: half raced at Wauconda, while the other half took an overnight trip to Peoria to run at Detweiller Park. While I was not there to see our men race at Wauconda, we were excited to hear updates throughout the morning from Coach Shorey about the great successes charted by our runners. Similarly, the men running at Peoria achieved fantastic times. Saturday, 13 September, has been the greatest day of our season so far.

The following shows the four races at Wauconda and our runners' accomplishments. There were some HUGE drops in times from last week to this Saturday. Whether or not it was environmental, fitness, or mental changes, we raced like a brand new team!

The trek to Peoria was a wet one, but we made it with a little daylight left and went straight to Detweiller Park to run the course. We had the nice opportunity to watch a collegiate Cross Country meet on the course and watch how the runners raced. After they were done, we ran the damp course, practiced starts and finishes, and spent some time discussing and visualizing strategy. We then checked in to our hotel in East Peoria. This proved the highlight of the day for our runners, for they served complimentary cucumber water.

Well rested from a hearty dinner and breakfast buffet, we awoke to a bright, sunny day with temperatures climbing toward 50. We made it to the course during the AA races, and it was then that some of our first-time Peoria runners realized the sheer magnitude of the meet. We entered against 49 other AAA teams, and all our ten runners were to run in the Varsity race. The warm-up and check-in flew by and then it was race time. The meet was, in Peoria fashion, abuzz with a positive energy with an undercurrent of nervous anticipation. Our boys collected themselves well and took the line on a field of 430 runners.

The gun went off and our guys fought to get in position before the first turn at 500m. They looked good on the first loop and through the mile mark, with Desmond running strong as our lead runner in the top third of the race. Kenneth was next, only a few seconds but dozens of people behind Desmond. Our third runner through the mile was Jaime, followed closely by Sergio, John, Delown, and Joseph. Collin was a dozen seconds back and working hard, with Rod and Warren close behind. I was impressed how they consistently forged ahead and were passing other runners every time I saw them.

By the last mile the field had spread out a bit, but there was still some very personal battles being fought all the way to the finish. Desmond finished as our first place runner in 154th place, running a 7-second lifetime best 16:13! Kenneth was our #2 man, also running a lifetime best by 14 seconds for a nice 16:37 finish. Jaime was right on his heels. He ran the best race of his life to lock in as our 3rd man, kicking hard against a pack of six runners to earn a 39-second PR and first sub-18 finish (17:39)! Joseph ran a 55-second PR in the third race of his career (17:49), followed closely by Sergio who fought through sickness for a season best 17:55. Close behind was John, who had an impressive uphill kick to chart an amazing 1:16 PR (18:02)! Next were Delown and Collin, who zipped up opposite sides of the approach to both earn 18:08 finishes, though Collin edged Delown by .5s. Rod broke 19 minutes for the first time in his life to run a 57s PR time of 18:54, with Warren running a 2s PR right behind him (19:06). Overall, these were very good times for our team this early in the season. We placed 45/49 teams, but this does not reflect the progress we made both as individuals and as a team today.

It was truly a great weekend for ZBXC! The personal and team gains were enormous and earned through hard work. There are lessons to be learned, too, that must be translated into every race this season. We must work to seize those opportunities ahead in races that won't be so large, and where the battles are going to be more personal. We have the strength to keep this momentum moving forward if match by the determination to do so. Keep up the wonderful work, ZBXC. We defend our home course, united, on Monday!

Mundelein Tri 9.8

We ran our first triangular meet of the season against Mundelein and Lake Forest on Monday, heading out to Diamond Lake Sports Complex that we last raced in 2012. The day was moderately warm and the course in relatively good shape, except for some mud in the hilly climb about 3/4 mile into the course. The course followed three one-mile loops and presented a relatively narrow racecourse. For the first time this season, we placed the whole team on the line together to race. There was a positive energy on the line as we prepared to run.

At the gun our team got out in good position on the first open 200m. Desmond found himself dueling Mundelein's Hagedorn for the entire race, vying for the lead. Mundelein had a four-man pack right behind them that Kenneth battled throughout the race as well, with our other guys packing up in twos and threes against the other teams. At the first mile Sergio and Jaime were running close together, followed by a large pack the included Collin, Joseph, John, Delown, and Bradley. Nate ran his first race of the year and came out with a strong start too, just ahead of a pack including Mikey, Rod, and Warren. In similar form to last Thursday at Deerfield, Jalan and Zack ran side-by-side and moved up well throughout the race.

My challenge to the team was to be the hardest-working team on the second half of each mile loop--in the mud and on the uphill. They did not disappoint! Their experience running "Wadsworths" proved invaluable as they surged ahead in this area. By the third lap and into the final 400m Desmond had worn down Hagedorn and taken a small lead that he maintained right into the chute, winning his first meet at 17:00, by a nearly 20-second margin! Congratulations Desmond!

The Mundelein pack proved resilient and Kenneth was not quite able to insert himself between them, but he ran a nice race at 18:06, with Sergio (18:20) and Jaime (18:51) coming in as our third and fourth men. John, Delown, and Joseph kept their pack together right through the finish (19:18, 19:21, & 19:23 respectively), each kicking impressively and all passing Lake Forest's first runner by a narrow margin. Collin (19:52) ran in next, followed by Nate's season opening finish of 20:04! Warren, Rod, and Mikey (20:13, 20:14, & 20:20) then finished in close succession, close behind Lake Forest's third finisher, then closely followed by Joel (21:03) and Bradley (21:06) who both looked great on their speedy finishes as they surged in together. In the last 600m Zack broke away from Jalan in his finishing approach, catching three LF runners and earning a 22:22 finishing time. Jalan battled a LF contestant all the way into the chute and won this very personal battle by two seconds (23:04)! Similarly, Trysten fought off a Mundelein runner right into the last 150m and came out on top (25:42). Austin rounded off our finishes with a gutsy race (39:49) and fantastic kick.

The course itself proved a little slower than those last week in terms of time, but we gave a valiant effort. While LF did not run their varsity, we did beat them in points with a perfect sore: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 (15 total) to their 50. This is counts toward our Conference standing, so it was nice to come away with a win. We lost 20-40 to Mundelein though, as we locked in places #1 and #7 to their 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. We will have several opportunities to come back and race against them this season and I feel confident that our guys will chart great improvement when stacked up against them again. John ran our single PR, dropping 44 seconds from Deerfield for a lifetime best. Congrats John! It was a very positive racing experience, and I know going into the weekend that our guys are ready to step up to the next level.

Deerfield 9.4

Today we put the rest of our team on the line at Deerfield. The runners who ran at Lake County went out for a workout, while everyone else suited up and ran against Grayslake Central and Deerfield. Though the temperature was predicted to be in the high 80s and quite humid, we caught a great break and saw the temps settle in the mid 70s for perfect racing weather! Deerfield also completed construction on their back fields, opening it for the first time in two years and keeping us off the trail with its grueling "down and back" route. Most importantly, it was the first race for our new runners and a chance to test their training in a season opening race!

Two things were immediately apparent at the line: 1.) Grayslake and Deerfield had much bigger teams than us, and 2.) our men were not going to let this be a factor in their race. Our runners displayed a hunger for the competition and immediately set out running in small packs and jockeying for position in the race. Bradley took our lead position going into the mile, followed by Collin, Delown, Rod, Mikey, and Rod in a tight pack. Joel, Jalan, and Zack formed our next group, with Joel breaking away by the halfway point. Jalan and Zack then ran side-by-side, moving steadily up to pass opponents together. By the midpoint, Bradley had fallen back to the mid-pack, with Delown striding to our #1 position and just behind the lead group of the race. Collin, in his first race, proved remarkably aggressive as well, pulling off Delown to advance as our #2 man going in to the second mile. Trysten and Austin rounded off our pack, with both working hard on the middle miles.

By the final loop, our men were tired but kicked in excellent form. Delown caught several opponents and kicked to finish 5th overall (18:35) and Collin sprinted in as our #2 man in 12th place (19:25). Rod locked in our #3 spot with a great kick for a lifetime best and first sub-20 finish (19:51). John and Mikey had run close together for most of the race, but John threw down his signature kick we all remembered from Track to edge Mikey by three seconds as they finished at 20:02 and 20:05 respectively. Joel ran a fantastic 37-second PR over his Bee Linked time to finish at 20:40; Zack broke away from Jalan in the last 800m for a nice 21:37 finish just ahead of Bradley (21:59). Jalan followed closely behind while fighting a cramp for a gutsy first race finish at 22:16. Trysten also ran well in his first race (25:01) and Austin in his (39:06).

Overall we scored 58 points, losing to Grayslake (16) but winning over Deerfield (63)!

It was a very rewarding day to see these young men grow through their first racing experience. They fought through heat and some fast competition and took away from it some valuable lessons in Cross Country racing. Our entire team has now raced this season, and next week we will have the opportunity to race them all together at Mundelein. We have a starting point and will only advance as we embrace teamwork and quality workouts in the coming weeks. I am very proud of them this week and greatly looking forward to seeing our team's growth!

Lake County 9.3

We opened the season with the Art Campbell Invite, held this year at the Wauconda course. It was a warm day with temperatures and humidity pushing in the high 70s, but the course was in great shape. We were glad that the Lake County meet has returned here instead of running at Waukegan like we did last year. We ran six men in the Varsity race against a field of 120 varsity runners from 14 schools. Desmond, Sergio, Kenneth, Warren, Jaime, and Joseph represented ZBXC today, with Joseph running his first Cross Country race as a varsity athlete.

The pack got out in good position, and 3/4 mile later hit the shaded, narrow woods trails. Desmond and Kenneth were in the top 30 at this time, with both running strong. When I saw them again, however, near the 1.5 it was apparent that the climate was causing some setbacks. Warren had reactivated a recurring foot injury after getting spiked in the woods, and I pulled him from the race. Kenneth was hit with a bad cramp and Sergio moved up to our #2 position. Joseph and Jaime both looked good as they hit their second loop.

The finishing 400m looked excellent. Despite the challenges of the course, our runners finished in great form. Desmond maintained his position in the top quarter of the race to finish at 27th overall and first for our team (17:13). Sergio locked in his position as our second man to finish at #54 (18:30), followed closely by Kenneth at #58 (18:36). Joseph ran a nice first Cross Country race to finish 18:44 with Jaime only ten seconds behind him (18:54). Overall we placed 12th of 14 teams, but for the conditions I feel we raced well. It was good to draw our baseline and also to see how the other teams in our conference have evolved over the past year. We are a new team that is growing as well. The season has opened and we will keep moving forward. Desmond, Kenneth, and Jaime have emerged as leading seniors while our younger guys are developing as they embrace the challenges of the season ahead. And while we only raced six men today, we are developing our Varsity squad as the boys push for the top spots. Tomorrow race the JV and F-S at Deerfield!

A New beginning

We have had a nice summer at Zion Benton. Our running camp, while down in numbers, made up for it in quality and effort this year. We had several eighth graders join us and made terrific strides in their running; our veterans and incoming freshmen also gave a strong account of themselves. Through heat and cold and all types of weather, they committed to making themselves better.

We took nine young men to Oshkosh this year. We went as a group of runners but over the course of the week emerged as a pack. The team that came out of the experience ran farther than they had before, pushed hard against the heat every day, and charted some impressive breakthroughs. The Distance Medley Relay saw a pinnacle of teamwork and support for each other, as well as some PR times! The pack got to know each other better than before and has carried that bond into the start of our season. This year we were fortunate to run the Oshkosh Titan 5k as our final camp time trial. While the times reflected 70 tough miles charted during the week, we had the great opportunity to run with special guests Alan (American mile record holder) and Julia Webb. While were totally geeked about meeting them, Alan approaching our team before the race to run strides with us, and running a long cool down with Julia, really made it a special day! Of course both now have lifelong fans in ZBXC, as well as a standing invitation to run Bee Linked with us next year!

I want to give a special shout-out to our many great alumni leaders who helped us on our journey this summer. Eric devoted countless hours around his work schedule to push the guys in their workouts. Lucas regularly jumped in on time trials, while Andrew stopped in weekly and also took on a coaching role during Oshkosh Week. Angel, Dakota, Tim, Trevor, and many others came to practices to show their support. And most importantly, we saw many ZBXC generations coming together to compete at Bee Linked in July! Your continued support is greatly appreciated!

The no-contact period in early August saw a few men drift away from the summer's work, but they have returned and worked hard since starting our official season last week. We have a smaller roster so far this year--17 men--but this includes 5 new dedicated freshmen who are already making great progress. We have a group that has solidified into the role of leading every workout, and runners who push themselves daily to running with them. This dedicated mindset is the very foundation of what will undoubtedly be a successful season! Already in our first time trial two men battled neck and neck to be the first runner in...and in the last one 1/3 of our team charted a PR time with 100% of the team, including new guys, running sub-7 times. I encourage the discomfort of the journey of moving forward every day. It is not easy, but with these runners embracing each challenging day they will be truly great!

This is a year of invention for ZBXC. We graduated a large group of seniors this last year, but there was never a void left behind. Our then-underclassmen have stepped up in every way. Their continued hard work and hunger for improvement will carry them far this season. I have been asked by several coaches how we are going to "rebuild" our team this year. They see loss of numbers, but cannot fathom the undercurrent of our younger runners and their enormous potential this season. This is not a time of rebuilding--this is a season of progress and constructing a legacy.

Season Records

Varsity Avg (Top 5)
1.) 16:52 @ Conference 10.18
2. )17:15 @ Peoria 9.13
2.) 17:20 @ Wheeling 10.11
4.) 17:29 @ Blue Devil 9.20
Senior
1.) Desmond Washington
        16:06 @ Conference
2.) Jaime Cantu
        16:36 @ Sectionals
3.) Kenneth Caples
        16:37 @ Peoria
Junior
1.) John Cruz
        17:23 @ Conference
2.) Warren Strickland
        18:19 @ Conference
3.) Bradley Omorogieva
        19:08 @ Wauconda Invite
Sophomore
1.) Joseph Norrish
        17:19 @ Peoria
2.) Sergio Vargas
        17:24 @ Conference
3.) Mikey Izquierdo
        18:17 @ Blue Devil
Freshman
1.) Collin Luell
        17:07 @ Conference
2.) Zack Vandreese
        18:44 @ Conference
3.) Joel Douglas
        19:02 @ Conference