Scouting Report: Fort Walton Beach Girls

 

The Fort Walton Beach girl's cross country wrapped up 2013 with conference and district championships, a regional runner-up finish, and a fifth place showing at the 3A. Cross Country Finals. The Vikiings will have junior Emma Rudman lead the charge this year. Rudman was fourth at last year's state meet and comes in as the top returner after the top three graduated. She told us earlier this month in her summer training log  that she has been training with the boys and logging hundreds of miles as well as combining swimming and cross training into her daily workouts. She ran a season best of 18:19.81 last year and after an incredible track season that saw her post times of 10:50.96 for 3,200m (3A state champion) and 4:53.36 for 1,600m (2nd at 3A state championship), she has goals of going sub 18 minutes this fall.

 

Behind Rudman will be junior Brooke Crane who was 67th at a sophomore. She's a strong middle distance runner who ran 2:17 at the Golden South Classic and has plans of breaking 19 minutes. The rest of the group has the potential to push 20 minutes. Brookelyn Hodges has a personal best of 20:00. The rest of the top five is some what up for grabs. Coach Lisettte Fields loves the progress of Katie Sartz and Jessica Riles and and says they will contend for those sports as well as two freshman who are siblings of other team members; Lucy Rudman and Rachel McMullen. Senior Autumn White, Lauren Hunter, and Anna-Laura Chastain will fight for the sixth and seventh spots.The good news for FWB fans is that with only one senior, this core group will be even stronger for next year.

 

Two weeks after the track season ended the Vikings started preparing for cross country. The group which runs together five days a week, also took 16 athletes to Warrior Running Camp at Berry College. In addition to the depth of this team, another strength is the willingness to committ to the training plan put forth by coaches Jeff and Lissette Fields and to being the best athlete they can be individually and for the sake of the team. A typical training week for the group starts out on the trails and running by time, taking the stress off of distances to run and keeps them honest in their pace since they have to watch their footing.  Tuesdays and Thursdays, the Vikings incoporate tempos, fartleks, interval training. Wednesday is hill day and Friday is their social run day  which includes breakfast afterwards. Saturday and Sunday they run on their own depending on how many miles they still need to fulfill their weekly goals. Lastly, an important component of their training is cross training three days a week whether its swimming, biking or the use of the eliptical.

 

The Vikings are young, talented, and well coached.  The 4A team rankings currently have them in 4th place just behind Ocala Vanguard and ahead of Creekside. Sarasota looks to land on the podium and Estero despite being ranked 11th, are looking for their fifth consecutive state title. Look for Fort Walton Beach to record another top five finish.

"We have three big meets that we would like to do well in - North Port (first time attending and we will stay a second night to go to Busch Garden) Flrunners is always a team favorite race, and then of course Pre-State. We have balanced our schedule with off weeks and smaller meets so as not to risk burning out. We will also have different race strategies for each of those meets.Our goal year to year is to have a good showing at state. Our girls will do whatever work it takes to challenge for the podium."
 

2014 Returner's Top Times (XC)

(After finishing fourth last year, junior Emma Rudman is the top returner for the Vikings and in all of 3A.)

4	Fort Walton Beach HS (FL)			268
	1) Emma Rudman		18:19.81	1
	2) Autumn White		19:54.86	52
	3) Brookelyn Hodges		20:00.02	57
	4) Brooke Crane		20:06.19	67
	5) Lauren Hunter		20:33.56	91
	Average Time: 19:46.89 Total Time: 1:38:54.44 1-5 Split: 2:13.75
	6) Anna-Laura Chastain		21:25.30	157
	7) Jessica Riley		21:44.00	181