A Friday night meet, especially this late in the season, can have its drawbacks, as well as its advantages. No doubt having the entire weekend to train--or rest, as the case may be--just prior to the various conference championships will win its share of supporters (explaining why this was one of two such events in the Orlando area alone). It might be considered the last regular season workout, both for varsity and non-varsity athletes, so times would be weighed more as a level of preparation for the championship “season,” than strictly as a performance.
Sunset would be at 6:46 PM, so the last race had to be completed not long after. With an hour and fifteen minutes separating the start times of the JV Girls (at 5:15), and the (combined) Varsity Boys (6:30), there was no margin for error of any kind. Thus it took everyone involved, including the meet officials, the pace cart driver (Jon Hughes of Track Shack), and the timer (Jeff Wentworth of Steeple Timing) to make it work. Although there were a few flashlights in use before the last award was presented, there was, nonetheless, sun while it lasted.
Girls JV
Whenever Spruce Creek shows up at a meet, there is a flood, both in athletes and enthusiasm. This particular wave of Creek runners was led by “twins” Rainey Tyner and Faith Strasser. Don’t let the names fool you. Both are 15 years old, sophomores, and share a talent for front running. Rainey led most of the way (so she got to speak first), but Faith was close behind.
Rainey: (We didn’t really have a race plan) we just kind of went.
Faith: I was just trying to stay close to her.
Rainey: We run pretty close in practice.
Faith: She was obviously further ahead of me.
Rainey: I just wanted a PR.
Faith: Me too.
Rainey: My PR is 21:42. I got mine at Astronaut…or maybe FL-Runners. It was on that course. (21:44.74 at FLX)
Faith: Mine was probably here today. (Actually, she ran 22:26.16 at FLX.)
Rainey: (On the heat). This was the kind of temperature we practiced in every day after school.
Faith: Its effects were probably minimal.
Rainey: (The course) was pretty simple. I liked it.
Faith: It was flat…but I didn’t like the finish. I wasn’t sure where it was.
The results, on this particular occasion, were Tyner first in 22:53.18, Strasser second in 23:02.76
JV Girls Team Race
Although Spruce Creek placed first, second, and fourth, all seven of Boone’s girls finished in the top twenty--3-5-8-10-15-17-19-- for 41 points, and the team trophy. Spruce Creek (1-2-4-22-26-27-47; 55) and Lyman (7-9-11-29-31-36-42; 87) rounded out the top three. 140 girls competed for 11 teams.
Boys JV Race
It was obvious, right from the start, that JV competitors Nick Kutyn and Andres Arroyo may have been in the wrong race. The former is a senior from Spruce Creek, the latter a freshman from Colonial, and both were flying around the legendary Ben White/Orlando Trotter Park. Their nearly identical 5:45 pace would eventually prove to be a minute (or more) faster than that of the rest of the field, and would have placed them among the top twenty in the varsity race.
In the early going, Kutyn, clad in sunglasses, seemed to have a commanding lead.
“I was trying to get the feel of being out front--fresh air--pace myself, and not have to work off someone else,” Nick said afterwards. “The ultimate goal is to win every race.”
Running in the shade(s) did not help; nor did his 16:46.10 PR (FLX)--a 52 second difference over Arroyo’s 17:38.02 (UF-Mt. Dew)--prove to be enough of a pre-race advantage over Arroyo’s determination. Gaining ground with each successive trip around a lake or pasture, both of which were in abundance, Arroyo was steadily closing the gap. By the last mile, Arroyo made his presence (persistence?) known, and it all came down to a 1.63 second difference as each passed under the clock.
Perhaps reflecting on his 17:52.00 win (over Arroyo’s 17:53.63), Kutyn said, “My pacing has always been to go out in front and hold on as best as I could.”
His next test will be at the 5 Star Conference Championship, only four days away.
First there’s his teammate, Greg Frye (14th in the varsity race in 17:36.91), and two-time defending champion, Chris Rudloff.
“I will try to stay with Rudloff.”
Boys JV Team Race
Joining Kutyn among the front runners, Spruce Creek’s white singlets seemed to be everywhere. Placing 1-2-3-9-13-14-18, their 28 points was nearly half that of an equally talented, closely packed Boone squad (4-7-8-10-20-21-23; 49). Winter Park was third (5-11-24-26-27-28-44; 93) of the 12 teams. 178 finished this race.
Girls Varsity Race
In what seemed to be a replay of the previous race, Ocoee’s senior superstar Alyssa Burkert was chased by a talented (and possible heir to her title) Bridgete Blake of Freedom High School.
“I’ve been running meets with her and she’s been great. She’s a freshman, and I can’t imagine how good she’ll be by the time she’s a senior,” commented Burkert, after her first place, 19:12.27 finish. “I kind of enjoy her being there, nipping at my heels (Bridgete ran 19:31.98) and keeping me going.”
Alyssa ,whose PR is 18:03 (at the Florida State Meet in 2007), is working her way back to another chance at running a 17 while still in high school.
“I took a couple of meets off to rest for this race, and to run a low time, at least a decent time, on the way to Districts.”
So far this year, her training methods have, among other accomplishments, produced an 18:22.85 eleventh place finish at the FLX Race of Champions.
“I want to be under 18 minutes for a 5K, and hope to run for a college; make a cross country team.”
Her choices?
“I’ve been looking both in Florida--UF and USF--and also out of state; Wofford College, in Spartanburg, South Carolina.”
Wofford, incidentally, not only shares the same black and gold team colors with Ocoee, but has a freshman standout who won Southern Conference Women’s Runner of the Week on October 7th with an 18:49.20, very close to what Alyssa is currently running. But then, there’s University of Florida’s School of Medicine, a field that Alyssa hopes to work in. Decisions, decisions.
Girls Varsity Team Race
After swapping the first four finish places with Titusville, Spruce Creek led by a single point (57-58) . Their victory was sealed by senior Elizabeth Sridhar (fifth for SC), who was 21st overall (21:42.50), and they won by 20. Creek had 78 (8-13-17-19-21-26-28), Titusville 98 (6-9-11-32-40-48-55), and Boone 107 (10-16-20-27-34-42-50). 133 runners and 18 teams ran.
Boys Varsity Race
The race had many leaders; first Deland’s Andrew Epifanio (15th in 17:37.30), next Spruce Creek’s Greg Frye (14th in 17:36.91), then Boone’s John-Logan Hines (2nd in 16:27.16). In the final results, however, Colonial’s Steven Fernandez’s 16:21.79 looks quite decisive.
“Me and Boone were using the guys (Epifanio and Frye) to save some energy, he explained. “It was really windy. At 1 ½ we took off, started surging. There were points where I would take the lead and Hines would pace off me. Then he would take the lead and I would pace off him.
“At, like about 150 yards before the third mile, it was “every man for himself.” By the last straight away, I had the lead and held it to the finish.”
Fernandez felt that conditions, although good for running, were not optimal for a fast time.
“Today, it was really windy, so that was a factor. The course (itself) wasn’t fast, or slow, but there wasn’t a leader to start out the race fast so the pace was controlled.”
The lead pack, which had about a dozen runners in a tight knot, went through the well-marked mile in 5:17. Two, for Fernandez and Hines, came in 10:38. Fernandez passed three in 16:19.
The CHS senior added, “I’ve been running this course since my freshman year. Our next big race, the Metro Conference Championship, will be here. So I know it pretty well. I believe that will be an advantage.”
However, “Boone’s Hinds, Dr. Phillips’ Middleton and Mund (will be front runners; Winter Park and Chamberlain have fast runners….”
And no doubt, right in the thick of it will be the 2009 Edgewater Invitational champion, Steven Fernandez.
Boys Varsity Team Race
When the team trophies were passed out, Fernandez and Hines switched places. Orange (2-6-8-23-27-44-51: 66) edged Red (1-9-13-20-28-38-49: 71) by five. Timber Creek was a close third with 80 (4-7-10-22-37-58-70). 157 runners and 22 teams competed.
Footnotes: For yours truly, some meets are more difficult to cover than others. This one was certainly a pleasure. The credit goes to the many hard working people whom I--unfortunately--can only identify from the fruits of their labor: a scenic and well-marked course, a smooth running and fast-paced event, and friendly and cooperative race officials. Even the tee shirts were grand. I want to acknowledge Jeff Wentworth, of Steeple Timing, for rebooting his computer in order to provide results so I could do this story. So, from (probably) the second to last person to leave (me), many thanks to the last one to drive away.