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Ian Hoffman hustles home in sixth place at the ECC boys’ cross-country championship meet.Linsey Arends holds a sizable lead over Bacon Academy’s Jordan Malloy coming up one of the final hills at the ECC girls’ cross-country championship meet. Photos by Marc Allard.
Lauren Brule races E. Lyme’s Maya D’Aquila to the finish line at the ECC girls’ cross-country championship meet. Photos by Marc Allard.
Arends
realizes goal
at ECC
championship
The joy was more than evident on the face of Woodstock Academy senior Linsey Arends.
She had just finished running the ECC girls’ cross country championship late last week and finally captured something that had just escaped her grasp in her two previous times – an ECC individual championship.
Arends toured the course in 20 minutes, 21 seconds. That was 25 seconds better than her friendly rival, Bacon Academy senior Jordan Malloy.
The monkey was off her back. “All week, she had been saying, ‘I have to get this. I have to get this.’ I told her (Thursday) was going to be her day. It turned out better than I had thought,” said coach Joe Banas.
Malloy had won the title when she was a freshman with Arends coming in third place. As sophomores, Malloy edged out Arends at the finish line, winning by a second.
It was a memory that has haunted the Woodstock Academy senior for two years as the pandemic cancelled last year’s ECC championship.
“I love Jordan and I’ve been waiting to race her again after (the outdoor) track (season). I was like, ‘This year, I’m going to do it’. I’m going to be ECC champion and I am. I couldn’t have had a better time running against anyone else. Jordan and all the girls are amazing,” Arends said.
The key was the hills, according to Banas. He, assistant coach Josh Welch, and Arends had designed a plan as to when Arends should make her move against Malloy.
It was to take place on a wooden bridge leading into the first large hill. She was to work that hill and a couple of others that followed. Then, she had to hold off an anticipated sprint by Malloy.
“My goal was to stay on her for the first two miles and in the last mile, just take it. I did. It was awesome. I was really pushing those hills. I know I’m strong on hills and I knew I had to get her on those. It worked out,” Arends said.
Arends led Malloy by about 150 yards heading into the final mile and gradually extended that lead.
“She pulled away from me in the hills and I was trying to keep up, but she was keeping up a good pace. I wanted to push the hills; they are challenging here. I wanted to maintain pace after the hills, not slow down too much and we stayed together until the end. (Arends) had very good grit and a very good kick,” Malloy said.
The two had one other factor to consider. An unusually warm October day with the thermometer nearing 80 degrees.
“It was tough. I don’t like the heat. I’m a person who prefers the 50’s for my races. I knew I was going to have to sweat it out. Blood, sweat and tears all the way, maybe some fingernail clippings came off and some white hairs from stress, but it was just a good time,” Arends said.
She crossed the finish line and then Banas had to go into action.
“I watched the last 30 meters with (Linsey’s) Mom, and if the race had to go to the street, I don’t know. She was wibbly-wobbly and we didn’t touch her until she had crossed the plane (of the finish line) and her Mom got on one side and I on the other and held her up. Her legs were tightening up from dehydration but we didn’t have time to get acclimated,” Banas said.
Following behind Arends was junior Lauren Brule who finished 10th. ““I didn’t get the personal record that I wanted but it was such a hard course and I’m really just happy to finish in the top 10.”
Senior Leah Castle was 12th followed by Julia Coyle in 14th and Sydney Lord in 15th. Those numbers helped the Centaurs finish second as a team just 15 points behind first-place E. Lyme.
The important meets continue Oct. 30 when the Class MM state championship takes place. “I am so psyched for States. I want to go out and see what we can do as a team. We want to place high, I want to place high, maybe win. I don’t know. That may be asking for a lot, but definitely, I want to run well and realize more of my senior year goals because this is my last shot. I can’t wait,” Arends said.
Centaurs Boys Place 4th
If someone would have told Woodstock senior Ian Hoffman that he would finish in the top 10 in the ECC boys’ cross-country championship at the beginning of the season, Hoffman’s response would have been cautious.
“It sounds ambitious,” Hoffman said his response would have been a couple of months ago. Oct. 21 it became reality.
Hoffman, in his first and last ECC championship, finished the 3.1 mile course in 17 minutes, 41 seconds, good enough for sixth place overall.
“I was just trying to stay with the three Griswold guys (Michael, Jacob and Lucas Strain) because I knew they were really good. I was just trying to stick with them and I did that fairly decently,” Hoffman said.
Hoffman was part of a second pack that consisted of Michael Strain who finished second, followed by Plainfield’s Jack Pothier, NFA’s Ethan Manfredi, Jacob Strain and then, Hoffman.
E. Lyme’s Luke Anthony dusted the rest of the field.
“I’m so pleased with (Hoffman), he did fabulous,” said coach Peter Lusa. “He dropped like two seconds off his fastest time ever and this is a pretty tough course. I think we’re going to see even better things from him in States.” Hoffman started the season with an 18 ½ minute 5K.
“The training has done a whole bunch but the main thing that held me back in the beginning was the mental part,” Hoffman said.
That includes running with pain, to really push himself, something Lusa is hoping to inspire in him for the upcoming Class MM state championship meet.
Vincente Bastura (18:40) placed 14th and Christian Menounos (19:06) was 20th.
The Centaurs finished fourth as a team behind E. Lyme, Griswold and NFA. Now, it’s on to the States Oct. 30.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy