RLCA vs. Archmere vs. Delmarva Christian and Senior Night

Our second and final home meet of the season was a tri-meet against Archmere Academy and Delmarva Christian Academy. Despite the intense heat and a delayed start time due to a mixup involving double-booking of the course with another five-team meet, our runners were prepared to compete, and many posted solid times.

Josh Deitrich ('19) led the way for the boys, finishing second overall in 19:59. Matteo D'Andrea ('20) finished in fourteenth place with a time of 21:58. Spencer Armstrong ('19), Dennis Nicholson ('19), and Nick Yu ('18) followed in 16th, 25th, and 28th place respectively. Marc Sherman ('20) crossed the line in 31st place with a time of 23:39, followed by Captain Luke Sherman ('18) in 34th place. Ryan Silver ('20), Richard Turley ('22), Captain Brandan Leauby ('18), Ryan Cooper ('21), and Jesse Ma ('20) rounded out the Red Lion boys finishers.

Josh Deitrich, pictured earlier in 2017 (Photo: Mr. Aaron Hamrick)

On the girls' side, Fiona Fawcett ('22) placed first among the Red Lion girls and fourth overall with a time of 24:37. Hannah Ye ('21) also finished in the top ten for the girls (7th place). Despite taking not one but two tumbles during the last mile that resulted in a bloodied knee and dirt all over her, Katie Rippon ('20) placed 14th, crossing the finish line at 26:25. Because of her perseverance, she was honored as the recipient of the 2x4 for the day*. Cathy Nicholson ('21) finished in 15th with a time of 26:38. Captain Naomi Mengel ('18) was narrowly beaten in the final sprint by an Archmere runner and placed 17th. Faith Hollister ('22), battling a broken wrist, finished 23rd among the girls, followed by Abby Phillips ('21) in 25th, Sophia Spotts ('21) in 30th, and Captain Anna Teather ('18) in 33rd place. Both the boys and girls teams lost to Archmere but won against Delmarva Christian in the overall score.

Coach Shirley, the seniors, and their posters (Photo: Mr. Dan Mengel)

Because this was our final home meet of the season, senior recognition was held after the race. Brandan Leauby, Naomi Mengel, Luke Sherman, Anna Teather, and Nick Yu were recognized for their contributions to the team over the course of their cross country careers. (Special thank you to all the Tall Oaks students who helped to make the posters and the friends and family who came out to support us!)

*For an explanation of this honor, see previous post "Golf Tees & Two-by-Fours"

Naomi

2017 Middletown Invitational

The Middletown Invitational, held at St. Andrew's School on September 22, was our second race of the season. The course, beautiful on the warm but overcast day, winds through the fields that surround the school and ends with a twisting, hilly path through the woods. Four separate races were held, with the top seven runners of each gender competing in the respective varsity races while the remaining runners competed in the JV races.

The girls team and manager Sarah Zhu (Photo: Mrs. Jen Mengel)

The girls' JV race was the first of the meet. Abby Philips ('21) led the Red Lion girls, finishing 48th overall with a time of 27:34. Sophia Spotts ('21) placed 50th overall, followed closely by Captain Anna Teather ('18).

The boys' JV race, which was by far the largest of the meet in terms of numbers, began fairly uneventfully. At around the two-mile mark, however, the runners encountered a swarm of ground hornets, and many were stung, including several runners from Red Lion. Nevertheless, the boys persisted and were able to finish the race. Marc Sherman ('21) led the team with a time of 23:03, placing 118th overall. Coach declared him the day's winner of the 2x4 in honor of his crossing the finish line while puking. Ryan Silver ('21) finished next in 139th place with Ryan Cooper ('21), Jesse Ma ('21), Adam Rao ('20), and Captain Brandan Leauby ('18) following.

The girls' varsity race, slightly rerouted due to the hornet problem, took off just afterwards. Fiona Fawcett ('22) ran an outstanding time of 22:05, placing 32nd overall. Faith Hollister ('22), sporting a cast on her broken wrist, followed with another amazing time of 22:10 and placed 33rd. Hannah Ye ('21) finished in 52nd place, followed by Cathy Nicholson ('21) in 62nd, Katelyn Walker ('19) in 68th, Katie Rippon ('20) in 71st, and Captain Naomi Mengel ('18) in 72nd place. The team placed 9th overall.

Josh Deitrich ('19) led the boys' varsity race for Red Lion with an impressive time of 17:37 and placed 28th overall. Matteo D'Andrea ('20) also broke the 20-minute mark, crossing the line at 19:09 in 65th place. Spencer Armstrong ('19) finished at 20:03 in 75th, followed by Dennis Nicholson ('19) in 92nd, Captain Luke Sherman ('18) in 97th, and Nick Yu ('18) in 102nd place. Micah Pope ('19) was unable to complete the race due to severe pain from shin splints. The team placed 15th overall.

Naomi

RLCA vs. Caravel Academy vs. St. Elizabeth HS

Our opening meet of the season was a tri-meet against Caravel Academy and St. Elizabeth High School at our home course in Lums Pond State Park. The course, which winds through the woods at the back of the park, and the beautiful (if slightly warm) September weather made for a picturesque setting for our first race.

Joshua Deitrich ('19) led the boys' race for Red Lion with a time of 20:23, placing second overall to Caravel's Joe Schaefer. Weston Marshall ('20) followed in third place, finishing in 20:39. Spencer Armstrong ('19), Matteo D'Andrea ('20), Dennis Nicholson ('19), Captain Luke Sherman ('18), and Micah Pope ('19) rounded out the top seven for Red Lion. Richard Turley ('22) finished with a time of 23:56 for his first varsity race, followed by Nick Yu ('18), Marc Sherman ('20), Captain Brandan Leauby ('18), Jesse Ma ('20), and Adam Rao ('20).

On the girls' side, Faith Hollister ('22) led the Red Lion girls in her debut varsity race, finishing second to Katy Peyton of Caravel with a time of 23:58. Hannah Ye ('21) finished third overall in 25:23. Fiona Fawcett ('22) and Cathy Nicholson ('21) had a photo finish as Cathy pulled just ahead in the final sprint. Katelyn Walker ('19), still battling shin splints, nevertheless ran a solid race to finish in 26:27. Katie Rippon ('20) and Captain Naomi Mengel ('18) finished sixth and seventh respectively for the Red Lion girls team, with two of our new runners, Sophia Spotts ('21) and Abby Philips ('21), and Captain Anna Teather ('18) following.

Full race results (Photo: Mrs. Jen Mengel)

It should be noted that even though this was our first race, we've already had two runners compete for the annual "First to Puke" award, won in past years primarily by former Captain David Walczak ('16) and this year (rather sheepishly) by me, who narrowly beat out Adam Rao ('22) for the somewhat dubious honor.

For the first race of the season, all of our runners looked strong out on the course. Some of us (including me) admittedly started the race a little too fast, and many of us did not run the time we were hoping for, but with the rest of the season ahead of us, I have high hopes for our performance as a team in the meets to come.

Naomi

Golf Tees & Two-by-Fours

Specifically, a used, unpainted golf tee and a foot-long, unsanded section of a two-by-four.

When Coach Paul Shirley first showed up at practice with that golf tee two weeks ago, we runners were not quite sure what to think. Coach explained that the tee would be the reward for "winning practice" and would be presented at the end of each training session to the runner who had worked the hardest that day (collectively determined by the captains). Winners had to return the tee to Coach at the beginning of the next practice, but in the interim, they would be allowed to customize the tee however they wanted (although Coach did specify that he'd prefer it to remain in one piece, much to the chagrin of certain members of the team). By the end of that week, the tee had been initialed, painted blue, stenciled with stars, and striped with red paint. (Shoutout to all the practice winners from that week for your hard work and creativity--you know who you are :)

The golf tee by the end of the week (Photo: Brandan Leauby)

While a golf tee may not seem like a particularly exciting prize, Coach explained to us that if we were willing to compete for something that small and insignificant, we would be willing to compete for anything.

Last week, after our most difficult practice of the season yet, Coach retired the tee "to the archives" (meaning that boys captain Brandan Leauby was appointed to take it home for safekeeping) and arrived at practice with a section of a two-by-four about a foot long and complete with unsanded edges. Given the hard work put in by the entire team during our mile repeats on the previous day, he felt that we deserved a better prize for winning practice. So far, the ends of the wood have been sanded and the entire piece painted with gold, red, and black stripes.

This new winner-of-practice system is an outworking of our team motto for the season: Prepare, Encourage, Compete. (We're still working out how to incorporate that into our pre-race cheer; Coach already definitively nixed us yelling "PEC!" at the top of our lungs.) For the past few weeks, we've spent hours preparing for the season to come, building up our strength and endurance through timed miles, distance running, CTs, and drills, so that when race day arrives, we can focus on meeting and exceeding the goals we've set for ourselves. We've grown together as a team, encouraging one another by pushing our fellow runners to their full potential and rejoicing with them when they meet their goals. We've learned to compete by running our best and working our hardest for a prize as insignificant as a golf tee.

I can't wait to see what our team will accomplish this season!

Naomi

Welcome to Cross Country 2017!

Hey guys!

I'm Naomi Mengel, captain of the girls varsity cross country team at Reach Christian Schools and senior at Tall Oaks. When my former teammate Benjamin Schneider asked me if I would be willing to take over this blog, I decided I'd give it a try (although this is only my second time doing this kind of thing, so I'm still getting used to the writing style involved).

As we're preparing for our first meet, I'll be posting something about what our team has been doing with regards to training for these past weeks (hint: it involves a golf tee, a two-by-four, and our team motto for the season).

Stay tuned for more updates on the team's progress, race reviews/results, and other fun things from the season!

Naomi

It Has Been a Pleasure!: Thank You, and 2016 DIAA State Championships, Brandywine Creek (Review)

FULL RESULTS: GIRLS (D2), BOYS (D2)

Before I get into too far into the post, I want to say thank you to all our fans who have both kept up with the blog this season and come out to support us at the meets. Your viewership makes this blog worthwhile for me and your presence at the races makes a difference in how hard I push myself at the races. I really can hear you guys cheering for us as I'm out on the course!

First of all, I have to give a shoutout to Tatnall's Keelin Hays, the Division 2 Girls champion. She almost literally won the race by a mile, leading the whole way and finishing over a minute ahead of her closest competitors. I don't know that I've ever seen a performance as dominant in my seven seasons as a cross-country runner. As for Red Lion, congratulations to our girls on placing 18th of 26 teams. We had a young team competing against some of the best teams in the state of Delaware. To earn a result like that is an accomplishment worth celebrating and a vast improvement over last year.

As for the boys (and myself), I am very proud of how the team performed on Saturday. Josh earned a phenomenal top-35 finish and the team earned a 14th-place finish of 28 teams. To my teammates, congratulations; we finished in the top half in the state meet!

Full race results can be found in the links above. All our runners finished the season on a high note and most will be able to carry that momentum into next season. As for the seniors, it's been an incredible journey. 

To my fellow members of the Class of 2017: Noah, you and I have been there since the beginning. I don't know that either of us quite knew what we were getting into when we decided to come out for JV cross-country in sixth grade. But we persevered, improved steadily over seven years and experienced loads of success as teammates, and as captains. I am proud to have had you by my side every step of the way.

Calvin, you kept up quite well considering Noah and I had a three-year head start! I'm so glad you decided to join us in ninth grade; the team was (and still is) better for it. You've showed a tremendous amount of growth this season and gave me a run for my money on multiple occasions. You're certainly stronger than me in terms of shorter distances and continue to improve in the longer ones. I am grateful for your decision to join us and only regret that you did not start your career sooner.

Jonathan, your energy and excitement you brought to every practice was contagious. Coach Paul says it normally takes about two seasons for a runner to hit his or her stride and I certainly saw that trait in you this year. I can't keep track of how many personal bests you set this season; you set one seemingly every race! Although I was only your teammate for a year, I've enjoyed getting to know you and appreciate the contribution you made to the team this season.

To my coaches: Coach Pizzulli, you handled this transition year seamlessly. The Red Lion team more than doubled in size compared to last year and you still were able to give us each individual instruction at every practice and meet. Thank you for all you did this year, including letting us TOCS runners #RememberTheTitans by using navy blue last names on our warm-up shirts!

Coach Shirley, you also handled this transition perfectly. But why am I surprised? You handled the last five years perfectly. I am proud to be able to say that I ran under the same coach my entire five years as a varsity cross-country runner. You helped me grow into a much faster runner, pushing me to achieve goals and exceed limits I thought would never be possible. More importantly, however, your spiritual guidance has furthered my in my walk with God and I could not be more thankful for everything you've given to me these last five seasons from my first varsity race as an eighth grade to helping me display the #LionsPride in my senior year.

To all of you who have supported me over the years: it has been a pleasure; moreover, it really has been unbelievable! I've loved every minute, and I can't wait to see what's next. The future of Red Lion cross-country is bright with several young runners just beginning to hit their strides (no pun intended) and multiple runners on the middle school team who will make an immediate impact when promoted to varsity within the next couple of seasons.

As I said on social media yesterday, for now, all I have left to say is that it's been one heck of a ride. Thank you all.

2016 New Castle County Championships (Review)

FULL RESULTS: JV Girls, JV Boys, Varsity Girls, Varsity Boys

Connor Nisbet leading the pack shortly past the 2-mile mark
(Photo: Blue Hen Photography)

The penultimate round of the 2016 Red Lion Cross Country season was held at Winterthur on Saturday, November 5. The field was divided into four groups, with Varsity and Junior Varsity races for both Girls' and Boys' teams. Julianna Barry ('19) of Tatnall and Lydia Olivere ('18) of Padua won the JV and Varsity Girls' races respectively. The JV Boys' race was won by Aidan Higley of Salesianum ('20), while Connor Nisbet ('19) won the Varsity Boys' division. Both Olivere and Nisbet also won their divisions at this season's Joe O'Neill Invitational.

Gabby Wilcox ('21) was the only Red Lion runner in the JV Girls' race, finishing in 32:28.68. Omari Banks ('21) was the highest RLCA finisher in the JV Boys' division, placing 115th with a time of 21:02.71. Brandan Leauby ('18) just missed out on breaking the 23-minute barrier, coming across the line with a time of 23:03.14; Ryan Silver finished 13 seconds behind Leauby. Marc Sherman ('20), Jonathan Huey ('17), and Jesse Ma ('20) rounded out the field of Red Lion runners, finishing with respective times of 24:07.99, 25:06.80, and 26.47.54.

In the Varsity Girls' division, Hannah Ye ('21) finished in the top 100 (97th) with a time of 24:25.06. Girls' Captain Naomi Mengel ('18) followed in 113, finishing in 24:53.49. Mae Willis ('20, 25:16.15), Katie Rippon ('20, 25:26.17), and Zoe Wilcox ('19, 26:17.23) rounded out the top five among the RLCA team, while Alternate Girls' Captain Anna Teather ('18) and Sarah Zhu ('20) finished in 26:39.41 and 27:29.43 respectively.

Joshua Deitrich (pictured earlier in 2016) was the highest-placing
finisher in any division for RLCA
(Photo: RLCA Facebook)

Joshua Deitrich ('19) was the highest-placing Varsity Boys' race finisher for RLCA, coming in 40th in 17:58.78. Alternate Boys' Captain Noah Pfenninger ('17) also placed in the top 100 (95th), finishing in 19:18.64. Boys' Captain Benjamin Schneider ('17) finished 26 seconds behind Pfenninger in 115th, Weston Marshall ('20) followed in 129th with a time of 19:58.93. Calvin Pozsonyi completed the team's top five, finishing in 20:32.08. Spencer Armstrong ('19) and Luke Sherman ('18) finished with respective times of 21:17.70 and 21:51.46.

In terms of team results, Red Lion's JV Boys' team placed 17th of 25 teams with 532 points. The Varsity Girls' team finished 21st of 27 teams with 589 points, while the Varsity Boys scored 521 points, placing them 19th of 32 teams.