Coach’s Corner:
Good evening,
Today the Pinkerton Astros competed at the 2024 NH Meet of Champions at Alvirne High School. The weather was sunny and dry in the low 50s. Championship XC weather. The goal: finish in the top 6 and qualify for New England’s.
The Trailblazers’ preparation, racing smarts, and toughness were on full display as we executed our best race of the season to date. 6 out of 7 runners earned a new PR and the 7th was off by a scant 5 seconds!
Junior Kali Marzolf led the way, finishing in the top 20 in 17th with a 10 second PR, nearly breaking 19:00 (19:00). Finishing second for the Astros also in the top 20 in 19th was Junior Captain Gabby Bedard. Her 19:07 was a 17 second PR!
Senior Althea LeBlanc had a breakout performance, running under 20:00 for the first time (19:33). This is an unconscionable 28 second PR!
Junior Parker Knowlton, despite being a bit under the weather, also continued to perform well in the postseason with a new PR of 19:48! That’s an amazing accomplishment when you’re feeling 100%, let alone when you’re a bit sick! Fantastic!
Junior Sarah Rzasa once again stepped up huge for the team as our 5th runner and earned a new 6 second PR of 20:23!
Senior Captain Ava Mohammed did what Ava Mohammed does: she earned another PR! This time it was by 9 seconds breaking 21:00 for the first time in 20:54! Fellow Senior Captain Mia Eckerman had an equally amazing performance, overcoming being sick most of the week to run within 5 seconds of her PR in 21:31. Incredible!
These were truly inspired performances and proved more than enough to qualify the team for the New England Championships next week in Connecticut! Mission accomplished. We will conclude our season next Saturday at Wickham Park in Manchester, CT.
Best regards,
Coach Jon Alizio