Cross Country Season Summary
JV girls starting their two mile race.
October 19, 2017
District Meet Finals
by Skylar Lien
The cross country season came to an end last Thursday at Miramar Park in Seabrook.
The varsity girls finished 5th place in the district with a point low of 126. Top placements were senior Sara Montero, 19; junior Skylar Lien, 23; and freshman Marrik Petrillo, 24.
The varsity boys also finished 5th place with a point total of 129. The top male placements were junior Spencer Gambrell, 16; sophomore Lane Adkins, 18; and freshman Johnathan Robbins, 24.
The JV girl’s team scored 116 points in their two mile race, placing 5th as well. Top runners were junior Savannah Hadley, 12; freshman Patricia Lock, 15; and sophomore Cristy Cantu, 24.
The boy’s JV team scored a total of 104 points with a 5th place overall finish. Top contributors were junior Blake Adkins, 11; sophomore Cade Roman, 13; and sophomore Colby Amieva, 21.
The freshman boys won a spot on the podium with a 3rd place final with a point low of 79. Top runners were Sean Gambrell, 7; Christian Yeathermon, 10; and Mason Wiggins, 19.
Spencer Gambrell at Nike South
by Cameron Turner
The cross country boys have been to this course three years in a row, and each year the competition grows. This year the fastest runner in Division 1 was 15:36 for a 5K. Coach Andrew Gamble prepared the boys cross country team for Nike South during the first half of their training. Most of the boys cross country training consisted of speed work to better their chances at the end of the race. There are two juniors on varsity, Ethan Mora and Spencer Gambrell. Gambrell is the fastest runner on the cross country team, according to his stats.
“I’ve always loved running, I run 10 mile races outside of school to get stronger legs and more stamina,” Gambrell said. “Running has been in my life for a very long time. My dad used to run, which is what got me into running. Running has affected my life in a good way because it has helped me get through school. I also hope to go to college and maybe someday run in the Olympics,” he said.
Gambrell placed 36th in the Nike south meet. The boys placed 8th overall out of 32 teams.
Skylar Lien’s Career
by Emily Taylor
Skylar Lien is a junior on the varsity cross-country team. She said that ever since she was in elementary school, she noticed she had the ability to run faster than the other kids. Lien ran club cross country as well middle and high school track and cross country, which kept her passion alive. Lien made varsity her freshman year, where she found her niche.
The Lien family has a history of successful athletes. Lien said that her mom was a fitness trainer at the YMCA and she is a PE teacher at a Catholic school. Not only that, Lien’s grandfather was ranked the second fastest runner in the state of Florida during his college running career.
Lien first got into running cross country during elementary school when she joined her first AAU cross country and track team. While being on that team, she qualified for the National Junior Olympics six times during her career and placed as one of the top 3200m runners in Texas.
“When I found out that I had to have a spinal fusion to correct my scoliosis,” Lien said, “the doctors told me that I would never run again, but I came back a year later and made the varsity team. I have two ten-inch rods and seventeen bolts infused into my spine. Since my operation in July 2014 , I have worked very hard to get back to where I was before my procedure,” Lien said.
At the cross country meet on October 6 at Pasadena Memorial Park, Skylar Lien placed 7th overall in the 5k run. The varsity girls placed second behind Clear Falls, the only two schools to score under a low of 100 points overall.
