Cross Country

Coaches

• Sue Epstein, Head Coach
• Kevin O'Donnell, Assistant Coach

Roster

• 2011 Roster

Schedule

• 2011 Schedule

Practice Field

• SHA

2011 News

XC Competes at All-Catholics on Challenging Elma Meadows 5K Course

The SHA XC Team finished their season at All-Catholics on Sunday, November 6, with several best times for the challenging Elma Meadows 5k course but came up short in scoring. Becca Skakal led the team with a top 30 finish and dropped over 2 full minutes from last year’s championship. Senior Jenn Gilbert was close behind, placing 33rd out of 57 runners. Susan Venditti, coming back from injury, ran well finishing 36th. Julia Winnie ran 4th for the Lady Sharks covering the course almost 2-minutes faster than last year. Newcomer, Monica Rizzo, continued her steady improvement, rounding out our top 5. Grace Rogers hung tough placing only seconds behind Monica. Freshman, Rachel Glica, had her best meet of the season, rounding out our top 7 Varsity runners. In the JV race, Janelle Broeker had a great race placing 35th, with Kirsten Schwegmman running her best time this season, placing 46th.

XC Finishes Season with Outstanding Performances -- Now on to All-Catholics

Sacred Heart closed out the MML cross country season with outstanding performances across the board.  In a very close contest, SHA lost to Mt. St. Mary on October 25, with the Lady Sharks' top two finishers Becca Skakal and Jenn Gilbert, placing 3rd and 4th overall with personal best times.  Susan Venditti finished a strong race in 6th place, followed by Julia Winnie, Monica Rizzo, and Grace Rodgers running together in a pack placing 11th, 12th, and 13th respectively.  Freshwomen Rachel Glica, Janelle Broeker, and Kirsten Schwegmann, finished 14th, 15th, and 17th; all dropping over 3-full minutes from their previous best times!

Lady Sharks Rebound After Loss to Immaculata with Big Victory over Mt. Mercy

After a disappointing loss to Immaculata on October 6, SHA's cross country team came back with an impressive win over Mt. Mercy on October 18.  The Lady Sharks nipped Mt. Mercy by three points (SHA 23 , Mt. Mercy - 26). While Mt. Mercy's top runners finished 1-2, SHA's Becca Skakal, Jenn Gilbert, and Susan Venditti went 3, 4, 5; followed by Julia Winnie, Grace Rodgers, and Monica Rizzo finishing 7, 8, 9.  The freshwomen crossed the finish line in 14th and 19th place, with Rachel Glica dropping 2 minutes and Kirsten Schwegmann dropping over a minute, respectively.  It definitely took a TEAM effort to earn this W.

Cross Country Team Improves on Personal Best Times and Takes Home a Win

The Sacred Heart XC team came home with a big win over Holy Angels on October 4. The victory puts the Lady Sharks tied for 3rd place in the current league standings. Sophomore Becca Skakal took first place with her fastest time this season.  Senior Jenn Gilbert was runner-up with a strong race competing in just her second meet of the year.  Julia Winnie, Grace Rodgers, and Monica Rizzo completed SHA's top five, securing the win, all running best times for the Cazenovia course.

• Next meet: SHA vs. Immaculata; Thursday, 10/6 @ 4:30 pm; Immaculata High School

SHA Falls to Nardin

The second cross country meet on September 20 found SHA facing Nardin at Delaware Park.  Sacred Heart could not match the depth and strength of Nardin's Gators.  However, despite the loss, the Lady Sharks did show some improvements.  SHA's top runner was sophomore, Rebecca Skakal, finishing eighth, followed by fellow sophomore Susan Venditti in 9th.  Newcomers Monica Rizzo and Rachel Glica had excellent performances, each shaving 2-3 minutes from their previous bests.

SHA - 15          Buffalo Seminary - 50   (in XC low score wins)

September 13 marked the opening cross country meet for Sacred Heart against Buffalo Seminary.  It was a good test for SHA's young team of runners.  Sophomores Susan Venditti and Rebecca Skakal finished 1-2 in the race assuring a SHA victory. Finishing 5th was Junior Julia Winnie, running a best time for 3.1 miles and finishing strong.