The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Season heats up under lights at Riverside
A hot and humid night might not be ideal racing conditions for the start of the cross country season, but that was the case at the Riverside Classic Kickoff on Aug. 28.
With a plethora of schools in the meet, runners were divided into a Divisions II-III race and a D-I race.
The race began with runners outside of Riverside Stadium, then doing a lap around the track before going off again to the rest of the course before finishing with a diagonal shot to the finish line.
The event featured multiple loops around where teams and spectators had set up their tents, and as Beavers head coach Geoff Weber said, it creates a great atmosphere for the runners.
“The fans are out once it gets dark,” said Weber. “It’s dark for portions of the race but when they get back in the stadium, with the lights and the noise, it’s electrifying.”
The crowd did play a factor for Hawken runner Nick Garcia-Whitko, who finished third in the boys D-II and D-III race. A state qualifier last season, Garcia-Whitko enjoyed the atmosphere that the crowd brought and thought that it helped him run better.
“To start the season like this is great,” said Garcia. “I like the crowd, and while I don’t know if there will be crowds like this at future events this season, they really help push me to the end.”
The boys D-II/III race featured NDCL in its first meet since the regional round last year, when the Lions had to withdraw from the state meet due to COVID-19 protocols. Brian Bates has stepped into a leadership role. He said what happened last season hasn’t deterred the Lions runners.
“At the end of last season we were all super supportive about what happened,” said Bates. “We had a good summer of training and are excited to be back out here. We all started doing the little things, but are ready to work hard from here on out.”
The heat played a factor for multiple racers, including returning Chagrin Falls state qualifier Rose Hoelzel during the girls D-II/ III race. Hoelzel started in a front breakaway of four, and finished third in a time of 19:57.
While being in the breakaway group wasn’t the start that Hoelzel wanted for her race, it worked for her in the end as she found her groove.
“I didn’t plan to go out with them since I didn’t know what I was capable of,” said Hoelzel. “I just wanted to stay steady in the beginning and be more steady at the end.”
Mentor’s Savannah Dennison stayed near the front for the girls D-I race, and took third. After the race, Dennison was happy with how she ran, knowing that it’s a long season and didn’t want to push the pace in the first meet of the season.
“I’ve been working hard since the state meet and to get those nerves out and run well is good,” said Dennison. “I feel like I have a good foothold in for the rest of the season. I expected all three of us to be together toward the end since we’re all very similar runners. I’m happy with third and to be able to compete with other great runners.”