SOMERS, N.Y. - On Saturday, Nov. 9, Somers laced ‘em up and headed for the Section One County Championship.
At Bowdoin Park, Julia Duzynski did a pretty good job summing up some of the difficulties.
“It’s running on rocks the entire time and my shoes kept slipping,” said the junior. But Duzynski remained in stride and will continue to do so even further north.
“I went freshman year, and last year I had a bad second half. But back this year for the states, I’m so very happy,” said the fourth place finisher (20:03.3)
Her adjustment to the gravel and dirt trails was to find the edge where there was still grass. Of course, the human field required that she turn the corner too.
“I was chasing Katie (Schmid),” said the Tusker. “It was tough, but I knew if I didn’t push through, I would probably be crying now.”
Up next, Mia Sandolo took eighth, another effort that did not go unnoticed by her coach.
“Mia is special. The talent, toughness and commitment is rare to see. She gave it all she had for her team yesterday,” said Coach John Vegliante. “I'm so proud of her and what she's done for the team over the years.”
A sweet sorrow that means parting.
“We’re going to miss her next year,” added Vegliante. “You can’t replace a girl like her.”
The same goes for Brooke Fazio, especially with the strides she made.
“Brooke finished 32nd in this race last year, and she was 11th this year. Running two minutes faster, it was an incredible race to go along with an incredible season. I’m happy for her, and the success she was able to have this season,” beamed Vegliante.
Unfortunately, Julia Aquilino was hoping for more. Her 15th place finish didn’t qualify for the states and neither did her season totals.
“I missed it by about two points,” said the senior. “It’s pretty rough.”
Disappointed, Aquilino still had plenty to fall back on.
“He’s a great coach, and we have a great team,” she said.
On the boys side, Aidan See was the standard bearer. 27th place (18.35.8) said the sophomore, “It’s pretty good. I’m happy with it.”
See also had to adjust to the hard surfaces. “Dirt, gravel and pavement,” he said, “That’s not fun - especially with spike on. It kind of hurts at times.”
Powering through, See was committed to staying on point. “I was just going as hard as I could,” said the runner.
Further down, Leonid Novichenko formed a tandem with a like-timed teammate.
“I was running with my friend Gabe (Cacsire),” said the sophomore of his pace partner.
One second behind Cacsire in 59th place, Novichenko had to do the hill solo like everyone else.
“It’s a somewhat tough mentally, because that hill takes a whole lot to get up,” he assured.
The long arc to the finish line takes a toll too. “You have to keep yourself mentally locked in on the people in front of you,” Novichenko explained.
Never ending, the grind continues with the indoor season around the corner. No problem, Aquilino gives a voice that probably reverberates for the whole team.
“I’m just going to keep doing what I love,” she concluded.
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