Women's CC Competes at Louisville Classic
This past Saturday the CCSJ Women's Cross Country Team traveled to Louisville, Kentucky to toe the starting line at the 2020 Louisville Classic. Always a highly anticipated meet, the race took place at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park, and its widely-known course boasts a long history of hosting championship events at the 5k, 10k, and 8k levels.
"I love this course and its environment because the race is so big; the park feels like a little cross country village," said Senior Grace Dwyer (SR/Lake Station, Ind.). "I was excited to race there again and take advantage of knowing the course to a T this year."
With sunny skies and light temperatures race day proved perfect for running, and the lady wave took full advantage. The top five went out hard from the starting gun and fought for position throughout, earning themselves some solid performances, but it was the efforts of runners six through eleven that shone through this week.
"Overall, solid performance as a whole," said Head Coach Jackie Torres. "Our 6-11 runners really stepped up this meet and walked away with some great personal records."
Each member of this group executed their race plan flawlessly, and crossed the finish line with some well-deserved personal bests. Among this group was Sophomore Zoie Ison (SO/Griffith, Ind.), finishing in a season PR of 25:03.
"I felt like everyone really fought this week, which is all we ask for at the end of the day," Ison said. "There was just so much inspiration going into this meet, and that helped me push myself throughout the race."
Juniors Keara Wisek (SR/Lake Station, Ind.) and Isabel Rocha (JR/Chicago, Ill. ) worked together from start to finish, pushing the pace and pulling each other along when necessary. The pair finished sixth and seventh for the Lady Wave, with Wisek crossing the line in a lifetime best of 22:56 and Rocha just behind in 22:58.
"I really loved racing alongside Keara. She really helped me push through the race, and if it wasn't for her I don't think I would've had as good of a race," Rocha said. "Whenever I'd fall back she would point to her side and I knew I had to get up there next to her, so I did."
"I couldn't have asked for better running weather, course, or running partner," Wisek added. "When I fell off or was starting to settle, without even a signal or words she knew how to reel me back in."
The squad of 11 headed into the 5k with a competitive spirit and full hearts, racing not just for themselves, but for a greater purpose as well. The women paid tribute to Breonna Taylor, running with the words "Say her name", "We run for her", and Taylor's name written on their legs.
"If having Isabel there wasn't enough to push me, I'd look down and remember that today I wasn't just running for myself," Wisek continued. "I think my teammates and I spoke volumes today, both on and off the course."
"I ran knowing that I was running for so much more than just another PR," added Senior Arianna Canales (SR/Chicago, Ill.), who also finished with a PR of 25:53. "I knew my team needed me to execute the very best version of myself on the course, and I knew that what I had written on my legs represented something so much bigger than myself. We ran for things that truly matter in our hurting world, and that's what made this race special."
The athletes ran in the Women's Silver division, one of eight races contested – including two open races – and the Lady Wave's efforts earned them a 3rd place team finish. Though the team now has a two week gap between their next race, they intend to carry the momentum from Louisville into the next 14 days of training.
"We are looking forward to two weeks of quality training," Torres said. "This will get us ready for our next competition where we will compete against some of our conference teams. It will be interesting to see how we square up against them in our last race before the Conference Championships."
The women will spike up once again on October 24, when they return to Taylor University for the Midwest XC Challenge. In the meantime the team plans to hit the ground running, getting a few solid workouts under their belt before race day. More details and meet information to be released soon!