The team forms a huddle before the 2011 State Meet

I felt this picture was a good way to remind everyone of what an amazing season it was.  I am not going to list all the reasons because you can read the recaps throughout the season to capture that.  We had our season-ending awards ceremony on Friday and it was a very special night.  It is always good to get together to share stories, memories, and poke a little fun at each other.  A huge thank you to Kathi O’Connor (and her husband, Dave) for putting in countless hours in putting together our slide show.  Also, a big thank you to John Lamb for taking all the amazing pictures.

We have some great plans for next summer and fall and I cannot wait to implement what we are churning in our heads.  Our goal is to have over 100 athletes in grades 6-8 and have well over 200 for the whole program.  There will be some different roles for our coaches and we have plans to build our summer track and field program by partnering with area schools to host some great meets.  And, let’s not forget about the Twilight Meet, the first meet of its kind in Illinois -a meet held at night in a partnership with Nike.  We will attempt to make it even better.  What makes this possible is a great team of coaches that work together toward one mission:  making running fun, pursuing meaningful goals, and improving!

On to track and field!  Coach Kennedy is back and ready to lead the team again.  Can we get one of those trophies this spring after showing some real progress last year?  We are going to give it our best shot!  Go to www.nvtrackandfield.net for all the updates.

Other alumni have also fared well this fall.  Aaron Beattie was The University of Washington’s #1 guy in the West Regional and David Wing was Miami of Ohio’s #1 guy in the Great Lakes Regional.  Luke Verbus will be running in the NCAA Division II meet in Spokane, Washington on Saturday, November 19th.  Luke has been running as Western State College’s #7 man.  Western State is ranked 2nd in the country.  There is even a Luke Verbus appreciation thread on Tracktalk.net   Of course, we know Brendan O’Connor had nothing to do with this.

We had two more all-state athletes in Mark Derrick (9th) and Taylor Soltys (10th).  Both of these guys worked their tails off for four years and deserve this honor.  Both have overcome a lot to be in this position – a shadow, a shift, and an achilles heel.  It is somewhat eerie that they ended up almost side by side in their last race after everything they have been through together.   Alekh, Nick, and Alex will be back and have something to prove.  Xander, Steven, and the rest of the seniors, you are amazing and I will never forget your sacrifice and willingness to be such team players.  The seniors have come a long way the last three years.

As a team, we followed our philosophy and put it all on the line, ran smart, and had fun in the process.  What more could a coach ask for?  If you don’t believe we were having fun, then a close look at our guys’ faces in the picture with goofy outfits, should remove all doubts.  If you don’t believe we put it all on the line, then you did not see our guys on the ground after the race in complete oxygen debt.  If you do not think we ran smart, check out the splits and you will see we hit the mile mark at the exact times we were hoping.

The other thing we agreed to do was take a moment for ourselves to look around and have an image burn in our minds.  I have a couple that will last a lifetime.  I am confident we all do.  Every year, someone reminds us to do this and I think it’s one of the best forms of advice one can give.  Actual pictures are great, but images in our mind are priceless.

Palatine and O’Fallon deserve a lot of credit for running great team races.  Congratulations to those two programs for their performances.  Both teams are well-coached and both programs understand it’s not about the workouts.  And, I just want it to be known we have great respect for York.  Our respect comes from their great team races, that is obvious.  However, we have even greater respect for their athletes and coaches as people.   Their coaches and athletes have been nothing short of amazing when it comes to their support and their friendships.  We have developed a bond of respect and humilty over the last five years.

In reflection, it was an amazing season.  I am most thankful for the amazing support we have had through this whole season.  We did something no one has ever done before by hosting a night time cross country meet that many athletes said was the best meet of their high school careers.  This was possible because of Nike, administrators, parents, friends, alumni, coaches, and athletes buying into an event that fully supported our great sport.   We hosted a very successful conference meet for the same reasons.  We had more athletes stick around for non-mandatory practices in our history, with a couple practices near 90 men.  We had more people attending the meets in the State series than ever before.  We had an amazing 225 people show up to Alexander’s Steakhouse after the race!!!  Our following on Facebook is unprecedented in Illinois high school cross country.   Again, this would not be possible without marketing geniuses like Lance Fuhrer and Steve Saul, the wisdom and mentoring of Mike Rossi,  the practicality, logical thinking, and loyalty of James Janota, and volunteers like Lee Woolley and Janet Derrick.  And, let’s not forget our significant others that allow us to ‘play cross country’.

I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished since 1997.  We started off with just freshmen and sophomores when NV opened its doors, and have managed to be one of the few schools in the history of Illinois to receive a trophy 4/5 years.   More importantly, we have built a culture where meaningful goals can be sought and fun can be had.

We have a lot of work to do if we are going to be in the team race next year.  I have a plan that is fundamentally sound but will be different than what we have done before.  I think it will work.  All I need now is for our athletes to believe and be willing to follow.  I can’t wait.

On to NXN in Terre Haute.

Despite the weather and great support, I could tell our guys were going into this meet with a little less zest than the week before.  We had the same approach last year and I guess I cannot expect us to be charged up for every meet.   Mark and Taylor took charge early and each gapped the field and ran alone the majority of the race.  Alekh and Nick did not position themselves well but did turn it on the last 1200m to establish good places in front of a pack of guys.  Alekh had an off day and fully admitted he was not mentally prepared to battle.  Drew also ran conservatively but he still managed to place in the 20′s to cap off a 56 pt. team effort, 50 pts. ahead of 2nd place Hinsdale Central.  Our 1-5 split was over a minute but it was actually a better effort than the last 3 weeks because this course is longer and separates guys more than most courses.  Xander ran solid as our 6th man but Steven had a rough day.  Sometimes, the hills at Dellwood can get the best of you physically and mentally.  Results.  Naperville Sun Article.

We are looking forward to next Saturday!  It is going to be another fun meet that will bring out the best in us.  Also, a big congratulations to our girls’ team who placed 5th to qualify as a team for the 2nd year in a row.

When the gun went off at 1:45, the race got out quickly. Within the first half mile, Mark Derrick  surged to the front of the pack and never looked back. He was followed closely by teammate Taylor Soltys, who was running all alone up front as well. Just behind Taylor, Alekh Meka stuck with two Oswego runners for the majority of the race. As the pack came through, so did the rest of our squad, which included Drew Smith, Nick Bushelle, Xander Jacobson, and Steven Krauklis. From the beginning of this race, everyone got into a position where they were able to run comfortably, which really paid off in the later stages of the race. As Mark and Taylor came charging in with times that earned them a spot on the all-time course leaderboard (and a list that includes some past IL state champions), Alekh surged past the duo he’d been pacing with to capture third place. Nick was not far behind, closing in nearly sub-5 minute mile fashion. Drew sealed the team victory with a 10th place finish. Xander and Steven both kicked hard and passed people, and they weren’t far behind Drew.

It would be unfair to leave out the important step these young men took today in defining themselves as a unique team. When we finally did the math, this team’s times were astounding. In fact, though it is hard to compare, this team’s times on  the same course on virtually an identical day, I decided to have some fun with the numbers and score the meet like a dual between our 2007 team and this year’s squad (2007-Blue/2011-Gold). By the results below (giving the edge to Beattie over Alekh because Meka’s time had .9 of a second on the official results), 2011 edges out 2007 by 3 points, 26-29.

1. Chris Derrick (14:48) – Course Record
2. Mark Derrick (14:49) – Second Best All-Time on Course
3. Taylor Soltys (15:05) - Fourth Best All-Time on Course
4. Danny Pawola (15:11)  - Sixth Best All-Time on Course
5. Aaron Beattie (15:19) – Tied-Tenth Best All-Time on Course
6. Alekh Meka (15:19) – Tied-Tenth Best All-Time on Course
7. Nick Bushelle (15:37)
8. Drew Smith (15:48)
9. Kevin Grady (15:50)
10. Josh Budnik (15:57)
11. Bryan Winek (16:07)
12. Xander Jacobson (16:08)
13. Steven Krauklis (16:11)
14. Mike Ruff (16:11)

These results are just a hint of what these young men are capable of and can accomplish when they run with heart. Overall, this was a good opportunity for us to see some of our hard work starting to pay off. We’ve got a lot of work to do in the coming weeks, but our guys looked determined, focused, and committed to the goals they’ve set. This week, there are many fun traditions we partake in as a team, including the Duncan Family Race and some time trials. Next week, we will compete at the Lockport sectional. Anyone interested in joining us can meet at the Egret shelter at Dellwood Park for a breakfast cookout before the race – more details to follow in an email. We’d love to see any families, current athletes, and alumni there to show your support!

If you are unable to make it to a meet, we’re now sending live updates from Twitter!

We put our varsity lineup together for the first time since Hornet-Red Devil and came away with our 6th straight conference victory.  Results.  Naperville Sun Article.  Some of our guys are still a little rusty, but 3 weeks gives us plenty of time to put it together for when it really counts.  One of our guys who has shaken off the rust is Mark Derrick.  He is on a roll and he is going to be tough to beat individually from here on out.  Mark ran side by side with Joe Stewart the entire race and gapped him with about 600m to go and held on for the victory.  Taylor ran a solid race for only his third race of the season to finish 3rd overall.  As he finds his rhythm and returns to the building race for which he is known, he is going to make some big moves down the stretch.  Alekh and Nick had off days but both of them know what to do from here on out to be successful.  Drew Smith and Xander Jacobson continue to impress us all, and based on Drew’s last mile, there is still a lot of room for improvement.  Robbie‘s allergies simply got the best of him.  Hopefully, he can figure out how to alleviate these symptoms soon.

Our JV team continued the tradition of taking most of the top 20 spots.  Senior Steven Krauklis ran a great race to win it individually with Brendan O’Connor, Alex Stowers, and Ben Cederoth close behind.   Dillon and Dean Gozum and Julius Garcia had great races and credit goes out to Kyle Blacker for toughing out a knee injury to run well in his last race.

We lost at the f/s level for the first time in a long time.  WV ran a great team race and simply overpowered us in the middle part of the race.  For some reason we ran tired even though I know Coach Saul, Coach Woolley, and Coach Rossi rested them well.   We have a lot of work to do.  I am hoping it was a wake-up call for us and we have a lot of guys committed to working hard in the off season.

Our pack at Blackhawk

The day after Christmas is always something of a letdown, and so it was for our team at Saturday’s West Aurora Stampede.  Following the inimitable, once-in-a-white-buffalo experience of our Twilight Invite, our boys ran a little bit tired and little bit flat. Still, several athletes ran notable races
worthy of mention.  Chicago Sun Times Article   Results

In the F/S open race, sophomore Mike Baker shook off the disappointment of Twilight to run his most complete and even race of the season, running 17:13 on the 5,000 meter course. Andrew “A-Dawg” Merkley also answered the challenge, running his own significant 5K PR in 17:27.  Alex Pierce (17:52), Garrett Ginnell (18:08), Grayson Jenkins (18:47), Aidan Collins (18:50), and Noah Irrabino (18:51) also showed improvement, each running relatively even splits. The F/S will look to tighten the stitching of the pack and rest the legs this week as they prepare for the season’s final race.

A slow start in the varsity race set our harriers back a bit, which proved to be too much to overcome strong races by Wheaton-Warrenville South and host West Aurora.  Alekh Meka (16:08) sacrificed some individual glory to try and establish our pack, but poor opening position kept them from moving up earlier.  Although Brendan O’Connor (16:25) and Robbie Hohlman (16:28) both ran well, the entire team will look at our splits for pacing advice as we move towards the conference race.  One bright spot: freshman Dan Weiss (17:08) showed he could run with confidence and discipline in his first varsity race.

The unquestioned highlight of the morning, however, was senior Geoffrey Miller’s second place finish in the open race.  Geoffrey is one of those essential glue guys that every team needs—the sort of runner to keep training groups together, challenge and support peers, and emphasize team success over individual
glory.  It was thrilling to watch him seize the moment and run tall.  Several other seniors—like Nate Reid, Joel Biere, Eric Stiles, and Mike Camis—ran races that confirm the benefits of years spent eroding their shoes’ rubber soles.  Anyone who follows Cross Country does so believing that the sport promises something better than life—that patience, dedication, and enthusiasm are rewarded with improvement, confidence, and success.  This is why Geoffrey’s race
was so great—he’s living proof of our collective faith.

We learn from every race.  And so we continue the march to Detweiller, scrutinizing our mistakes, repairing our failures, and honoring our seniors.

Mark Derrick took top honors, winning his first-ever high school meet in 12:38, a time only a few seconds away from what Lukas Verzbicas ran on the course last year.  He was followed closely by Taylor Soltys in 3rd place in 13:01, and Drew Smith came barreling into the finish in 13:17 for 7th place.  Xander Jacobson (13:21), Steve Krauklis (13:31), and Shelton Boclair (13:33) rounded out our 6 participating athletes with places 12, 13, and 14, respectively.  Yes, we had 6 runners in the top 14!  Kyle Blacker is still nursing a sore knee, and we’re hoping he can return soon to competition.

After completing the race, we had the privilege of watching the elite runners complete the Chicago Marathon.  We even got to see the male winner, Moses Mosop, run a brand new course record of 2:05:37…wow!!!

Also, congratulations go out to Coach Mike Rossi for running an amazing time of 3:14:56 for the Chicago Marathon!  He ran an evenly paced, intelligent race, and we’re all very proud of his accomplishment!

Next week, we host the UEC Valley Division Conference Championship at DuPage River Park.  Then, the march to State begins!  Hope to see you all out on the course in the coming weeks.

Neuqua Valley Cross Country Twilight Meet from NCTV17 on Vimeo.