Left: Ben Seaton ran his best race of the season at the Section 7 cross country meet. Seaton placed 21st in a field of 123 runners and missed going to state by 18 seconds. Above: Freshman Pete Summers was the third varsity runner for the Vikings at sections. Pete steadily improved throughout the season and will be counted on for big things next fall.
Three major story lines were in play at the Section 7A cross country meet in Cloquet last Thursday, October 25. First, senior team leaders and captains Ben Seaton and Sarissa Falk were in contention to qualify for the state meet in early November, but both would have to pull upsets to make it. Second, the weather was awful—windy, snowy and wet. Boys’ times averaged 30 seconds slower than last years’ poor conditions; girls were a full minute slower. Third, our young teams would be looking to enhance their reputation as the up-and-comers in the 20-team section.
The pressure was on Ben and Sarissa. They both knew they were going to have to modify their normal race strategy to have a shot at State. Ben, a great, even-pace runner who picks up places later in the race, had to get out faster to get a better position early in the race, settle into his pace, then finish with a rush. Sarissa, a runner with great finishing speed, needed to get with the group where the qualifiers would be, hang on, and kick it in the end. Sounds simple, but if you’ve ever raced a 4K or 5K, you know you are all in after the first ½ mile—how to you find more?
A half-mile into the boys’ 5K race, Ben was higher up than normal, but still back a little too far. He clawed his way up to the top 25 on the second of 3 loops and finished strong, placing 21st in the 123-runner field. Since it took a 15th place or better to make it this year (top 2 teams and next 8 runners), he was very unhappy at the finish, as expected. By now I’m sure he realizes that it was the best performance of his career, 5 places and less than 18 seconds from the crowning achievement in high school athletics—going to state.
Four hundred yards into the girls’ 4K race, Sarissa was right were she needed to be, close behind the probable state qualifiers. We had our fingers crossed. Last year, she was in the middle of the pack and happy to just be on the varsity team. This year she put in a big summer training season, worked hard at every practice, and placed in most of the meets. Still the competition is very tough in Section 7, led by Esko, rated-No.1- in-the-state. Sarissa was not dealing well with the cold and wet, however, and we started to see the look. It’s a look every runner knows and has had –“I’m losing it.” You struggle, your mind tries to trick your body, but it won’t last long. Although she fought it as best she could, she slowly slipped back in the last mile. She was inconsolable at the end. All that work, all that success, the prize was in my grasp, and I couldn’t keep hold of it. I wanted to tell her it was something all of us has felt in distance racing, and that this failure can lead to greater success next time. She didn’t want to hear that right then.
Sarissa Falk didn’t have her best race at sections, but had an outstanding season and was the top Viking harrier this fall. Should she run track, she will be tough to beat in the quarter-mile or the half-mile in the spring.
Meanwhile, the rest of our team was doing well, especially the boys. Junior Joey Chmelik was 13 places behind Ben, finishing 34th in 19:02. Talented freshman Pete Summer was finally realizing more of his potential and closed to finish right behind Joey. Sophomore Nate Carlson is also learning how to use his talent better and finished 42nd in 19:31. Hardworking and smart-racing freshmen Sean MacDonell and Will Seaton were next for the Vikings in 63rd and 75th, while senior Collin Berglund capped a super first season by finishing with Will in 77th. The boys surprised all of us by placing 5th in the 20-team section, compared to 11th last year. They have the potential….
Our girls’ team was running in their normal pack formation. The boys really want to beat each other, almost as much as beating the other teams. The girls like the safety of a group of friends. As expected, freshman Abi Seipke broke ahead later in the race, finishing 37th of 106. Less than 10 seconds behind, 7th grader Maya McHugh finished 42nd. Freshman Matea Acero, who was right behind Sarissa early in the season, but lost most of a month with a hip injury, pulled it together at Section, finishing 46th. Senior Sara Shield, unofficial “mother of the group,” was right behind Matea. Freshman Morgan Weyrens- Welch wasn’t totally happy to fall a little behind her teammates in 52nd, but we were excited about the quality of her season. Last year’s team leader Audrey Summers continued her climb back to the top by finishing 62nd. We hope the climb goes all the way through next year. Overall, the girls finished 7th in the meet. Not quite where they wanted to be, but I’m sure they’ll do the work to climb the ladder next year.
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