Time Trial Recap

Despite a lot of uncertainty and restrictions, we were able to pull off a unique version of a team time trial on its usual annual date… the first Thursday of August. Our runners raced in 6 “pods” in accordance with the health guidelines we’ve been following for the privilege to work together as a team while doing what we can to keep everyone safe. The route is two miles, and is the exact same two-mile course that Whitney XC teams have done for 6 years, making it very easy to do comparisons of teams year to year, and also for each runner to see a progression of improvement.

The first three waves of runners featured 8 girls each, some of them new to the team as freshmen. Our freshman girls are very committed and demonstrate maturity beyond their age. Taylor Bettencourt, Zoe Cloud, and Katie Hart all managed better than nine and a half minute mile pace over the two miles. Veteran upper class runners Bella Nijmeh, Cassidy Ransford, Alicia Chiang, and Anna Giorgi also ran well, and know how to pace such that their mile splits are even, or a slight “negative split”, which is when the second mile is faster than the first. Sophie Bowen had a terrific race, pulling away from everyone else and finishing in 15:47, which is under 8 minute mile pace for two miles! Congratulations on a great performance Sophie!

The second wave was also split between younger girls and veteran runners. Sophomore Maddie Kelly, junior Kylee Wibbeler, and senior Emilyn Kong are all new to the team and running high school XC for the first time, and they all beat the 8 minute per mile barrier. Each of these 3 young ladies has been very committed to their training, and it’s paying off. Freshman Grace Scott, sophomore Ashanti Elie, and senior Olivia Sauer worked pretty well together, all crossing the line right at 15 minutes flat, which is an impressive 7:30 per mile pace. Junior Hailey Kelly and sophomore Mariana Blanding were like clockwork… right around 7:22/7:23 for their first mile split, and then right around 7:22/7:23 for their second mile split. Can’t get more steady-paced than that. Great job ladies!

Our third and final wave of ladies featured some of our top runners. Junior Ashlyn Fujioka came through in 15:37, a 7:18 pace. Senior Haley Bedrin has been among our most improved runners during this extended summer conditioning phase, hitting 7 flat on the first mile, then closing with a 6:55 second mile for a sub-7 average, which is outstanding. Usual frontrunners for our girls team, seniors Grace Pierce, Kirsten Ransford, and Jessica Becker all came in in the mid 13’s, just ahead of Haley, and with fast-rising freshman Ava Kopec pacing in the mix. And a full minute ahead of everyone was our top two runners, our talented freshman Angeline Gutierrez, and 5K school record holder, sophomore Katie Kopec. Not only did these two break 13 minutes, but they broke 12 minutes! That is incredibly fast anytime, but especially when it’s still August. Angeline and Katie finished in 11:58 and 11:59 respectively breaking the previous time trial record on this course by nearly 20 seconds. Katie placed 3rd at Section Championships last fall, then 24th at the state meet, where she broke the school record. And with Angeline right with her, these two talented young ladies will compete with the best in our region.

The fourth wave kicked off the boys’ heats with mostly freshmen. Akanis Surapak is one of our many freshman boys to show up at virtually every practice. His work ethic is already paying off as he is getting stronger each week. Other freshmen Charlie Peek, Peyton Boyd, Mikey Payan, and Noah Reed ran the two mile course near the 15-min mark, with Mikey and Noah able to get under the 7:30 per mile pace. In that mix was senior Dylan DeValk and sophomore Tyler Herceg–who has become very strong over the past year, due to being so committed during the shutdown and running on his own 6 days a week! Freshmen Brendan Whitmore and Landon Wibbeler, and sophomores Nick Nottoli and Corbin Peek (another story of great improvement) all finished pretty near each other, averaging just under 7-minute pace and breaking the 14-minute barrier. Senior Luca Ruscica moved well ahead of the pack with a 6:30 first mile, followed by a speedy 5:59 second mile.

The fifth wave of runners had a mix of guys from all grade levels. Veterans Seth DeBoer, Max Sommerhauser, and Hunter Schwab put in tough performances, with Max averaging under 7 minute pace, and Hunter averaging 6:18. We had some freshmen in the group, with Anthony Berg, Noah Lopez, and David Hurren all around 12 and a half minutes. David and sophomore Aidan Barkve (one more example of big improvement) both managed sub-6:15 mile pace. Freshman Perry Hutchinson ran right with senior Calvin Parcher (yet another fast-rising returner) for a 6-flat first lap, then negative splitted mile two to break 12 minutes. Our veteran boys are doing a great job shoring up our depth as a team, and these freshman boys are nothing short of phenomenal, as they are always at practice in large numbers. This freshman squad is going to be among the best in the section.

The sixth and final wave featured our top boys on the team. Every one of these young men has demonstrated a drive that is undeniable as they have continued training week after week for 5 months with no races to work toward. Nick Herrmann, Brandon Olah, and Jaden Rapp are all returning sophomores from a Section Championship freshman team, and they continue to set the standard in terms of what it takes to achieve such a title. All three broke 12 minutes at the time trial. Talented freshman Josh Tajiri was right with yet another returning sophomore, Callum Turner, coming in at 11:36 and 11:32 respectively. Quietly rising junior James Bowen clocked 11:23, near a 5:40 per mile average. One of our top freshmen in the section in 2019, returning sophomore Teo Delgadillo was among five runners to break the elusive 11-minute barrier. Many of you saw our top four seniors, whom we affectionately call “Team JBAR” (Jason Finta, Byron Chadwick, Aidan Ransford, Riley Carroll). This foursome has demonstrated work ethic and teamwork like none other. Running the time trial in the mid to low 10’s was a result of a level of talent, but more so a result of their character. Byron and Riley hit 10:16 and 10:17, which is 6th and 8th on the all-time 2-Mile Time Trial list.

Congratulations to all 56 runners who gave it their all at our annual time trial. The results indicate that Whitney XC will be competitive at all levels in our region. It can’t be said enough that our program is built on character, not talent. Talent certainly shows up, but character is what drives our success, and this 2020 team is at the top.