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Race Recap by Chad Germany
The course ran slow, the heat was relentless, and thunderstorms threatened all evening. However, nothing could stop the Holy Trinity boys from winning the Katie Caples elite race team title, and continuing their early season success.
While the best of the evening was showcased in the boys’ and girls’ elite races, one can’t overlook several other impressive performances across the varsity and junior varsity races. A freshman from Circle Christian, Denae Chapman won the girls’ varsity race in 19:26. This already seems like quite a race for a young runner, but what if I told you her closest competitor finished nearly 2 minutes behind?
Up until the mile mark, several South Fork runners challenged Chapman (South Fork would ultimately win the team title), but from that point forward, it was her race for the taking.
“I was just trying to run against the clock and hit my splits,” said Chapman in regards to her ability to run out in front.
Chapman admitted to a bit of fatigue in the less than ideal conditions, but her performance was completely dominant.
On the boy’s junior varsity side, Bishop Kenny’s Alec Sharpe and Erik Sampayo would finish 1st and 2nd with times of 17:57 and 18:07 respectively. The real highlight of the race proved to be Mandarin’s 8 runners in the top twenty,
including their 4 through 6 runners finishing only a second apart. Mandarin’s tactics helped secure them a 1-point victory over Bishop Kenny.
After last years’ much talked about course debacle, it seemed that from the start, Julie Wollrath was looking for redemption. As one of the odds-on favorites to win the 2011 elite race, she took a wrong turn and finished with an unsatisfactory 20:08 and a 4th place finish. Everything seemed to be right on track this time, as Wollrath held off the likes of Mackenzie Wilson, Danielle Van Liere, and Sarah Day to win the girls’ elite race in a time of 18:57 and extend an undefeated 5k streak that dates back to last season.
The final race of the evening was the elite boys, and it would not disappoint. For much of the race, Holy Trinity teammates Alex Brown, Tristan Kattenberg, and Cole Oliver ran right on each others’ shoulders, with Bishop Kenny’s Michael Barr threatening from close behind. As the leaders neared the 3-mile mark, Brown and Kattenberg were trading the lead, and feeding off of each other’s last few surges onto the track. It was there that Brown took the lead for good, with his teammate finishing close behind. Michael Barr, Troy Clark, and Costa Stathis would round out the top five. Holy Trinity’s team title is their second in a row at Katie Caples, while Mandarin, Bi shop Kenny, Creekside, and St. Augustine would take places 2 through 5.
