Post Season Review - Girls

Girls: 

1.) 3-5 overall record correct?  Correct

2.) Any league all-stars?  No League All-Stars

3.) Who were the top three runners on the team and can you give me a couple sentences on each of them on what makes them so good? Do you have their average times as well? 

     (1) Jr Victoria "Tori" Boss - 21:26PR  As a Freshman Tori showed a good deal of promise but injuries slowed her down in her Sophomore year.  This year she trained hard, followed the plan and, not surprisingly, had great results.  Her athleticism and work ethic have made her our top runner.  Tori runs consistently at the front of the pack in every practice and that has carried over into competition.  

     (2) Sr Captain Maeve McDonough - 21:40PR  Maeve showed enormous dedication as a Junior after sitting out her Sophomore year.  That dedication was recognized by her teammates who voted her Captain and has continued this year as the team's leader inside and outside athletics.  Maeve loves distance running and consistently runs double digit long runs which have helped her become a major contributor to the success of the team.

     (3) Jr Niki Kamperides - 21:44PR  Niki made a big jump this year following a Freshman year with a knee injury that also slowed her down in her Sophomore year but couldn't keep her out.  That experience paid off and she has lowered her 5K time by more than 5 minutes.  A strong and athletic runner.

4.) Who surprised you this season and what makes you say that? Honestly, there were no real surprises this year.  On day 1 we created training groups with what we thought would be our top 10 in Group 1.  That group has remained intact the entire season and in the weekly results as well.

5.) You guys won back-to-back races, beginning with Silver Lake. What changed or was it the schedule lighting up?  Similar to the Boys team our girls improved consistently each week throughout the season.  The Patriot League has some incredibly large and talented teams (Hingham, Duxbury) which seem to dominate each year.  Our girls stayed closed with those teams and beat teams of comparable size and abilities.  

6.) Did this team meet your expectations, why or why not? We went into the season knowing Hingham, Duxbury, Plymouth North and Plymouth South had some phenomenal runners, so our expectations were not high.  But our kids' effort and commitment were rewarded with a good record and some incredible times and finishes.  The girls races provided more than their share of excitement each and every week.

7.) When was the high point of the season and what makes you say that? From a running standpoint the Girls' across the board consistency and improvement makes it difficult to point to any particular point in the season as pivotal.  But from a coaching perspective nearly every girl came to practice each day with a smile and a willingness to work hard to improve.  It was an upbeat atmosphere, start to finish.

8.) What was this team’s strength and how did it work to its favor? The team's greatest strength comes from the quiet leadership of Captains Maeve McDonough and Maeve Rooney.  Each is respectful, hard-working and dedicated which sets the tone for the entire squad.  Every member of the team is supportive of her teammates and that creates an atmosphere in which everyone enjoys each others' company and works to improve.

9.) What’s the outlook of the program? When I speak with middle school kids and some of the high school kids who have chosen other sports I'm disappointed only for the fact that I know there are incredibly gifted runners who won't be joining us and are missing out on opportunities they can't comprehend as children.  Through the years I've coached girls who have gone on to run at great schools like Lehigh, Emory, Colby, St. Johns, Northeastern, Johns Hopkins, Brandeis and many others, not to mention W-H kids who are now at Tufts, Bentley and West Point.  Until we start attracting young women to this sport it will be difficult to compete with rivals Hingham and Duxbury.  But it won't be for lack of trying on the part of the coaches or the kids that choose to be part of what I believe to be a truly wonderful experience.