With the Cross Country season winding down and one meet left, the Rangers took on many teams and rivals this past weekend in the annual Jesuit Classic. The Rangers looked very promising in this meet as they get ready to head to district.
Captain Dillon Smith ’14, Connor Garvey ’16, Michael Spamer ’15, Kyle Wolf ‘14, and Andrew Pott ‘14 dominated this meet earning their team a solid second place. Smith finished fifth overall and Garvey finished 25th which were the best finishes for their team.
This meet exceeded Garvey’s expectations, and he described it as a “positive for our team as we get ready to go into regional’s.” This was one of the best finishes yet for the Rangers in the Jesuit Classic and this shows potential for the team, whose goal all season has been to make it to state.
Coach Douglas Robinson believes this was a great assessment of the team’s fitness as they lengthened the distance. Robinson went on to say, “Those who have seen the benefit of training are continuing to see better performance in the races as we wind down to the end of the season.” This was a meet in which most runners improved their time from the previous meet and the Rangers were lead well.
With the seniors stepping up, the constant improvement each week has become evident which is a good sign for the team as they are starting to really compete. Michael Spamer ’15 described the outcome as impressive because the Rangers beat their district rival Lake Highlands, who they have been competing with all year. He went on to say that the team “learned to run better on the same course they will be running at district.”
While varsity did well in this meet, JV dominated all other teams, winning first place by over 50 points. It is very rare when a team is able to win both first and second place overall, but Connor ONeill ’17 and Giovanni Montesdeoca ’16 were able to achieve that, with ONeill winning first and Montesdeoca in second. Freshmen Gus Baldwin and Miles Burrow finished third and fourth out of the Rangers.
Coach Robinson described the win as “another taking care of business for the runners.” He also described the team solid and tough which fits them as they have been nothing but dominant all year. Garvey was impressed with the team explaining that “it shows that we can be dominant for the next several years.”
The Rangers have one last meet in Lewisville this weekend before they go to regional’s where their hard work will be tested. Be sure to read up on the Rangers and cheer them on.
