BOYS WINNER: Kurt Convey - Sophomore @ Coral Reef
Coral Reef sophomore Kurt Convey proved this past weekend why he is a force to be reckoned with not just in South Florida, but in 4A. Convey was the 2010 Middle School Cross Country State Champion, and 2011 Middle School State Champion in the 3000 meters as an eighth grader. As a freshman he finished 9th at the Cross Country Finals in 2011, and in 2012 he picked up right where he left off. Convey finished first five second off his personal best time at the University of Miami Greentree Invitational clocking in at 16:01.62. Coach Eric Pino says the game plan was to stick with the Belen boys and the rest of the pack early.
"After running the course the week before and having conversations throughout the week, we thought that he'd go out and be with the group coming into the trail, but not leading. As they approached the trail on the second lap we wanted to be leading if it was going to be a pack going in there, but he didn't mind trailing if it was just a few of them (as it was). I don't really know how they entered it the last time because last I saw him was on Avery's tail right at the two mile mark. He looked comfortable."
Competition pushes runners to top times and quality workouts and Saturday was no exception Convey was pushed by Avery Lopez of Belen Jesuit as well as a pack of his Belen teammates, Danny Fernandez of Columbus, and the Sunset duo of Nick Diaz and Kenny Castro in what Pino called a stacked field..Convey and Lopez ran away from the back and battled it to the finish line. Convey edged out Lopez by two seconds, but beat the rest of the field by over twenty seconds. Pino knew both his runner and Lopez had a chance to go low 16's and says it was an exciting race executed very nicely.
"Saturday was the first time I had ever seen Kurt compete in any competition and I was really impressed with his composure and relaxation throughout the race. We spoke about a plan and he seemed to keep a clear mind and stick with it. I'm not saying this because he came out with the win but because we spoke about expectation and he stayed clear minded during the race. Runners sometimes tend to get caught up in the moment but Kurt stayed the course."
Convey and the rest of his teammates have been putting in quality miles over the summer and the hard work has paid off. Pino says he preaches quality over quantity and doesn't want to see his guys run "garbage mies." The past two weeks the group has been running 50-60 miles per week and has just started incorporating speed into their workouts. Pino says constant quality running and speed have allowed Convey to have success early in the season.
" These two things have really played into allowing Kurt feeling fresh and allowing him to perform well at the race and in practices also giving him tons of room for growth without him get tired of a long season. Kurt is as good as he is because he is constant. I can't emphasize enough the ease that Kurt runs with... its impressive. Long and smooth. Every time we go out there he expects to kill the workout/threshold. If not kill it embarrass me by finishing it, hitting his splits, and questioning “why not harder coach”.
It's that work ethic that gives first year coach Eric Pino high hopes for the sophomore. Pino has seen talent as a coach at Miami Columbus. This year he plans for the tides to turn and with Convey's leadership have the Barracudas making some noise in November and beyond.
"My primary goal is for him is to lead our team to a top ten finish at states. Two points is crucial to that happening. Time wise, somewhere down in the mid to high 1520s is what we are shooting for at states, anything faster than that is a bonus. Nationally, footlocker qualifications is a coin toss. It's a long ways away and perhaps a bit hopeful, but again with a special day from Kurt and certain other things falling into place you never know."
Kurt's Athlete Profile
GIRLS WINNER: Alex Eaton - Junior @ Shorecrest Prep
Alex Eaton transferred to Shorecrest Prep for her junior season and has made a big impact on this team early on. Eaton won the Seffner Christian Classic in a time of 19:23.74. That time was a new course record for a high schooler at Sydney Dover Trails in Brandon. Her gameplan was to pace eighth grade teammate Olivia Rovin early on. Once she saw Rovin was good to go Eaton began to play hunter and go after one of the top girls in 3A Nikita Shah of Wiregrass Ranch. Coach Jeff Raab says overall he was impressed with his new pupil and the rest of the team.
"The win was impressive. We did expect that from Alex the first race. Nikita is a great runner and when we saw Alex on her back at the two mile we were pleasantly surprised to see that she looked comfortable in the race. Alex had a heck of a third mile. She has proven to be a good leader for our young team. She was excited before the race and really helped our girls to prepared for the race. We were excited about the whole team's performance."
Eaton ran 18:49.42 at Pre-State last year and finished 31st at the Cross Country Finals. Coach Raab wasn't surprised at the fast time and knew when he saw her run by at the three mile mark that she had a chance at the course record. He says if one thing is to be known it is that Eaton came into the season prepared and ready to battle it out on the cross country course.
"She has been training throughout the off season and was excited to start racing."
The transition between schools and classes can be challenging. Facing new competition no matter the jump can always be tough. Last year, Shorecrest Prep finished eighth in the team standings. Raab says Eaton's switch to her new school has been seamless. He adds that she has bonded with the team and has become a leader immediately.
"Alex gets along with everyone and seems to be really enjoying being on the team. Her work ethic in practice has been good for the team. We have a younger team and her experience and confidence has helped everyone. It's good for Alex too because she is with a group of girls that really enjoy the sport. I don't think the size of the school really matters. She is driven and works very hard to achieve success. No matter where she runs, she will have that success."
Alex's Athlete Profile