NACI cross country runners looking forward to provincials
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- Published on Thursday, October 9, 2014
(L to R) Logan Young and Brett Kozak at the Zone Seven Championships in September. Photo courtesy of Bryce Koscielny
By Eoin Devereux
The Neepawa Banner
The Neepawa Tigers cross-country team is preparing for its most important race of the season. Coach Bryce Koscielny said nine members of the team will compete in the upcoming provincial championships, which are scheduled for Oct. 15 at Spruce Woods Provincial Park.
He noted that the team recently ran the same course for the Zone Seven championships, so the runners are feeling very confident about their chances.
“The team had a very strong showing at zones last month so we definitely feel as though we have a home field advantage. Runners like Logan Young, who has been on the team for four years, have run on it a lot of times. So they do know the ins and outs of what to expect, which is nice come race day,” said Koscielny.
At the Zone 7 Championships, Logan Young lead the way, winning the varsity boys five-kilometre race with an impressive time of 17:25. Brett Kozak finished third with a time of 20:32, while BJ Rossnagel finished fifth. In the varsity girls three-kilometre race, Hayley Cathcart placed seventh overall and Taylor Hall placed tenth.
Koscielny noted that competitive cross country running requires a very different skill set from its athletes compared to standard track and field events.
“With competitive cross country running it’s a little bit different compared to track. We’re running between three to five kilometres, so the distance is a factor,” said Koscielny. “There are also the hills. A runner has to deal with variations in footing, the trail pack, dirt, sand and grass. Possibly some wet and colder conditions. There are a lot of different elements that can come into play.”
This is the ninth year Koscielny has coached the team. He said it’s great to see the amount of interest in the cross country gradually increasing at NACI.
“We’re seeing a lot more interest from the junior high [students] the last couple years. Right now, we have about 22 athletes involved, which is nice,” said Koscielny. “We just hope to keep growing for years to come.”
