Submitted by Kurt Wheeler
The Cazenovia girls cross country team capped a successful 2018 campaign with a fourth place finish among 21 teams at the Section 3, Class C championship race on Nov 3. The Lady Lakers, ranked number four coming into the race, equaled expectations with 135 points, but couldn’t catch Clinton (45), South Jefferson (56) or Westhill (94).
The race, hosted by Chittenango, was memorable for being run over one of the muddiest courses the athletes had ever encountered after three weeks of steady rain leading up to the championship.
Senior Captain Clara Rowles concluded her legendary cross country career for Cazenovia by once again leading her team, finishing 20th overall in a mud-slowed time of 24:19. This fall marked Rowles fifth season as a varsity harrier, during which she set nearly every cross country record maintained by the Lakers and earned three trips to the NYS championship meet.
Isla Stover wrapped up a superb junior season for the squad, placing second for Cazenovia and 21st overall in 24:21. Stover emerged as one of the elite runners in the league and section in just her second year of competition in cross country. Senior Captain Kelly Frost ran one of best races ever for the Lakers, finishing third for the team and capturing 28th place in the 127-runner field in a time of 24:51. Also, just in her second year in the sport, Frost has been among the team’s leaders during both of her seasons.
Sophomore Molly Hart (33rd, 25:06) and eighth grader Finlay Stover (36th, 25:26) rounded out the scoring for the Lakers. Hart wrapped up her best season of running yet for Cazenovia after nursing an injury during her Freshman season. Stover made an immediate impact for the Lady Lakers this fall after being elevated to varsity, finishing in the top five in nearly every race.
The team’s exceptional depth was clearly apparent once again in the sectional race as each of the squad’s remaining finishers ran competitive races over the challenging course. Junior Eleanor Wester earned 49th place overall in 26:07. Freshman Mary Williams cemented her status as a top-7 runner for the Lakers with another strong finish, capturing 57th in 26:35 while fellow Freshman Claire Braaten was 65th in 26:58.
Senior Captain Jackie Gamlen wrapped up her outstanding career for the Cazenovia as she placed 71st in 27:11. Gamlen, like Rowles, is a veteran of the Lakers’ sectional champion, no. 5 in the state, 2015 squad. Freshman Mia Chesbrough wrapped up an impressive inaugural season of cross country for the Lakers as she earned a spot on the sectional team and placed 84th overall in 28:12.
The strong sectional race capped an outstanding season of competition for the Cazenovia harriers, who finished the regular season undefeated and earned the OHSL Liberty-National league title. Despite losing the contributions of its three distinguished Seniors, the future looks bright for the Lakers as they will return 14 of 17 runners from this year’s team and add a number of talented youngsters moving up from the modified team.
