Entering the new school year, Jesuit students are finding new routines and getting situated for the road ahead. However, this entrance into the school year is not so gentle for the cross country team. With vigorous summer training sessions, the distance teams are in tip-top shape for this coming season. With eight JV teams and two varsity teams, there is no shortage of commitment from Jesuit runners this season. Coach Dough Robinson said that “expectations are higher than ever before,” and he thinks this a huge motivational factor.
With the second competition of the season, the Greenhill/Luke’s Locker Relay at Norbuck Park on Saturday, August 23, was a big meet where Jesuit had the opportunity to showcase its hungry Cross Country team. With forty-four different teams running from Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, Jesuit Dallas was ready to go. The varsity teams were each comprised of four students with each student running 1.5 miles to complete the 6-mile race.
Jesuit’s top varsity squad, Connor O’Neill ’17, Michael Spamer ’15, John Garvey ’16, and Connor Garvey ’16 finished 6th with a time of 31:10. O’Neill finished with the fastest split time of 7:25. Michael Spamer (7:57), John Garvey (8:10), and Connor Garvey (7:39) came in close behind to cap off a fantastic race. Just minutes faster, Oklahoma Jenks took first with a 29:42 finish. Jesuit’s second varsity team, Gus Baldwin ’17, Miles Burrow ’17, Ethan Brownlee ’16, and Nick LoRocco ’15 finished 16th in the competition.Baldwin finished with a time of 8:05, Burrow (8:29), Brownlee (8:10) and LoRocco (8:33) for a combined time of 33:17.
Connor Garvey said that “we ran smart.” “Our team had a great strategy for the run,” continued Garvey, “and Connor O’Neil really set the tone as the lead off. It was a great first meet, and it set the tone for this year’s cross-country season.”
The Rangers will compete in eleven more races this season with a motivated team looking towards state. John Garvey thought that “this is one of our best teams yet, and if we keep capitalizing like at Greenhill, we will definitely be contenders all season. The JV guys really stepped up, and we are set to go far this year.”
The Cross Country team now looks forward to their race at the Plano Invitational where the squad will continue to compete with the top distance teams in the country. With the new district realignments, the Rangers will be going up against top teams such as Highland Park and Southlake Carroll who look to compete at the highest level. Michael Spamer commented, “We have a lot of young guys with a lot of potential, and we should have a strong team this season and many more to come.” With that said, we can hope to see our boys later this season with a state-bound mindset.
