MULTIPLE SCHOOL RECORDS IN RELAYS

Sometimes a relay team comes together at precisely the right time.  Injuries and other things always seemed to prevent us from putting together another Dream Team Indoors. Another sport prevented us from keeping this team together throughout the Outdoor season.

Yeah, one of these folks played that funny game with sticks in the Spring.

Surprisingly, not all four of these folks ran Cross Country together. Well, maybe NOT surprisingly.

One of the weaknesses we have as a program is that not everyone buys into the sport right away.

This was evidenced my first year here, when I noticed two superbly talented distance runners that made a huge difference, that were committed to Soccer, then realized that they were suited to become far better performers as distance runners.

Those two ended up being a great one-two punch for us and BOTH went on to become physicians!

Kathleen Wicks and Shannon Brennan...SPARKPLUG and CLUTCH!

I understand if  someone has a passion for a sport, but once you find out you're superior at ours, you really should consider changing unless your are even BETTER at another one.

We have had more than our share of people come out of our program and end up competing collegiately. One of them this year became an ALL-AMERICAN ( Ashley CORKY Corcoran).

The mistake is when a coach tries to take, say, a really explosive type of individual and attempt to convert them. Now you are creating conflict in their energy systems and their natural twitch muscles.

Each one of these runners was originally scheduled to run in the sprints (and did) as Freshman. None of them were established distance runners. 

But with time and observing them in practices as well as competitions, they gradually moved into Middle Distance and Distance.

By 2016, they were collectively Western Mass Champions in the 4 x 800, and State Runners Up in the same event. Their time is the second best listed ever Indoors (only second to Holyoke Catholic, who is a traditionally powerful distance team).

What surprises me is that no one ever took video on them.

Here they are by name, and what they accomplished over their career:

Morgan Voight ( DMV): Current school record holder in the INDOOR and OUTDOOR Mile.

Also a member of the school record setting DISTANCE MEDLEY INDOORS. Currently runs for Quinnipiac.

Abby Laughlin (HAMMER) Current school record holder in the INDOOR and OUTDOOR 800.

Also the INDOORS DISTANCE and SPRINT MEDLEYS.

Abigail Rate ( ABBYCUS) Current school record holder in the INDOOR DISTANCE MEDLEY

Lauren Crum ( CRUM BABY) Current school record holder in the OUTDOOR 4 x 1600 meter relay

They also won a bet with Coach Matt Benoit that allowed them to color his hair ( I don't DO that stuff, you are SUPPOSED to break records, because that's my JOB to put you in position to do well)!