*Quotes from Cardinal Gibbon's senior, Heather Beichner
The Cardinal Gibbons' girls cross country team has proved to be one of the best in North Carolina over the past couple weeks. With their dominate win at the Greensboro Invitational over Chapel Hill and Science Hill (TN), and then their performance at Wendy's this past weekend, they may even be the best.
The NCRunners.com Team Standings has them ranked 1st, 10 pts ahead of 3A state favorite, TC Roberson. Whether they are ranked 1st or 2nd in the state, they look more than ready to defend their 2A state title.
Last year was a huge win for the Gibbon's girls according to Heather Beichner, their #1 runner.
"We were excited to win xc states last year, because we lost 6 of our top 7 to graduation. We thought last year was going to be a "rebuilding year" and we didn't have many expectations. But, we decided to work as hard as we could anyway, and we were able to accomplish a lot more than just rebuilding."
However, this year proves to be a bit different.
"This year, instead of losing 6 of our top 7, we returned 6. So, we naturally have more goals for this season. As a team, we are very close, and extremely hard working. Coach Lyon has to remind us to "keep our easy days easy." We want our top 7 to average under 20:30."
The Gibbon's girls' team should be solid next year as well as they return a solid group of girls.
"Yes our team is decently young, we only have 3 seniors in the top 7. Even if our top 7 was all seniors, I still think the team would be good next year and in years to come because the tradition of our running program is so strong. I think every girl is excited to be part of the team, and that excitment translates into a willingness to work hard. Molly Baker, Halsey Merritt, and Reanna Hawkins are all juniors in our top 7 this season. They have a love for running and really care about Gibbons cross country, so with their leadership, I know the team will run well next season."
The team does have great leadership and tradition. The Gibbon's teams have been a dominant force on the North Carolina XC team for the last 12 years. This year is no different.
The big difference for the teams this year is the coaching staff. "Coach Prudence Lyon is the head coach of the girls team and Coach Derek Fenton is the head coach of the boys team. Coach Lyon was our asistant coach last season, so this is her second year of coaching." Coach Fenton came from Leesville Road HS and is in his first year at Gibbons.
The 2007 season began over the summer as the team headed off to camp.
"This summer we went to NC State's cross country camp. We love hanging out together, and it seems like we are always laughing, so we had a lot of fun at camp."
The season started out with a 3rd place finish at the WNC Cross Country Carnival. Since then, the Cardinal Gibbons girl's team has improved a great deal.
Here are the current season PR's for their top 7 girls.
1) Heather Beichner, 18:35
2) Molly Baker, 19:27.5
3) Leah Vaughn, 19:46.4
4) Sarah Rapp, 19:47
5) Halsey Merritt, 19:59
6) Reanna Hawkins, 20:32.1
7) Kelly Maw, 20:46
The Gibbon's team is not done. They have a conference title to win and a 2A state title to
defend. Cardinal Gibbons is also currently receiving votes in the SE Regional poll which may just persuade them into making the trip to Hoover for the NTN Regional. However, with the conflict between Foot Locker and NTN, that may cause some problems.
"One big race this season could be the NTN regional qualifier in November. We might head over to Alabama and see what we can do."
Then, after I told Heather about the conflict, the answer slightly changed.
"We probably won't end up going to Hoover, mainly because Charlotte is a lot closer, and the race is still competitive. But, Hoover is not totally out of the question yet."
No matter what they choose, you can count on the Gibbons' girls representing North Carolina well.
Best of luck, ladies!