The official cross country season has come to an end for SJA and all of Ohio. There are a few all-star meets and post-season national qualifiers still to be run, but the majority of us have put the 2012 season to rest. This past fall was a busy one and one that showed moments of great promise. Old traditions like the canoe run and camp, newer traditions like senior night, and brand new traditions like the Columbus overnight all helped to strengthen the team's unity while the team enjoyed its largest size ever of 51 runners. On the running front, the Jaguars were not expected to be very competitive after graduating the biggest class on record (and arguably the most talented). However this was not the case as the emergence of senior Emily Bauer and Junior Alesha Vovk were two critical components that provided stability at the front. Both runners were approaching the 20 minute barrier as well as the top 20 all-time list, with Emily having a slight edge and earning team MVP honors. Combine that with the return of senior Mel Ward, the efforts of junior Rachel McGuire, the clutch performances of sophomore Mallory Fahey, and the establishment of senior twins Jill and Jessica Bresnahan and you have the core group of a consistent varsity squad.
The varsity team did place well at a couple of early invitationals including starting the year with a 2nd place run at the Early Bird followed by a win at Westerville North. As the meets got bigger SJA's weaknesses were exposed preventing them from challenging for the win at meets like Tiffin, but throughout the year the 2nd 7 (JV squad) performed well often winning each weekend. There were a lot of contributors to this group including; seniors Helen Steve, Bridget Egan, and Libby Pipak, juniors Maddie Zimmerman, Maeve Kroeger, and Molly Moore, sophomores, Clare Fibbi, Audrianna Farris, and Lauren Marconi, and freshmen Bridget McGuire, Emma Stalder, Katie Butterfield, and Rachel Cogar.
There is a lot of work to do in the off-season for next track season as well as next fall, so hopefully the team takes their running seriously through the winter months. Quality miles need to be logged, tough days through the snow need to be endured, and an occasional 20 degree run has to be suffered. It is only through that kind of commitment will improvements be made and steps taken to defeat our opponents because you can be assured those programs are doing the same thing. Most importantly, and it is something we have tried to press for years, is the further establishment of a real team culture. The girls all have to believe in each other, the program, the tradition, and all the other parts in order for us to come together and rise up to the next level.
It was overall a very successful year in many regards and I am always thankful for my time with the team, for their support, and for the gifts they gave at the end of the season banquet. Go Jaguars!
