Long runs, hill repeats, speed work, terrain training, two-a-days, early mornings, after school track work, and plenty of pasta is the recipe for success on the Lowndes High School cross country teams. Their grit and determination, through not only the training season but year round, makes them a force to be reckoned with each fall.
The boys claimed the region title on Oct. 13 at Freedom Park. Individually, senior Kaleb Wolfendon won the gold, and Savyon Toombs snagged the bronze for the girls team. At the time of this writing, both teams are gearing up to compete in sectionals in Conyers, Georgia, on Oct. 22.
Spectators may see cross country as an individual sport, but it most certainly is not, neither in scoring nor mentality. Teams that train together win championships.
“Our team this year is a very tight unit,” head coach Martha Mazurkiewicz said. “The runners are excited about the potential that every speed workout has for their ability to get stronger together. I think that the difficulty of the training leads to comradery, which leads to the runners having a common bond where they are accepting to all members of the team no matter their differences outside of XC.”
As on any team, however, you have your stand out players. Kaleb Wolfendon has dabbled in the sub-16-minute 5Ks this season. He won the gold medal with a time of 16:31 at the region meet.
“In only his second cross country season, Kaleb’s potential is virtually untapped,” Mazurkiewicz said. “He is a solid team player with a positive attitude, and most importantly, he is always willing to lend a teammate a hand in any situation. He will most definitely be eligible for a running scholarship, where under a knowledgeable coach, his times will continue to improve.”
Brishen House, a junior in his first high school cross country season, has steadily improved his time by about 15 seconds per meet with a personal record in the 5K of 16:54.
For the girls, senior Savyon Toombs is in her second cross country season. She is vital to the lady Vikings XC team, but also uses cross country as a means of making her more competitive during the spring track season. She currently has a personal record of 55 seconds in the 400-meter run and is looking forward to a scholarship for her speed on the track and to possibly run cross country post-high school.
Behind every cross country team is a solid coaching staff and community. For the Vikings, Mazurkiewicz teams up with her husband, Rick Mazurkiewicz, to make sure the runners get the variety of workouts and motivation that they need to improve. Rick works with the team on early morning runs and executes speed work two times per week.
“In high school, he (Rick) was able to compete by running in the 15:00s for the 5k distance and is very knowledgeable when it comes to racing strategies,” Mazurkiewicz said. “Our teams have separate workouts, and we have different goals and expectations for the different levels of athletes on these teams, so their workouts are varied.”
The Lowndes High School teams are doing everything right. They are getting the proper training, support, and education on the sport to make them successful. South Georgia teams are still dominated by Atlanta area schools at the state level, but that can be changed. South Georgia running will, in time, become more of a threat at this level of competition.
“In my opinion, North Georgia schools dominate because they have excellent feeder programs, which result in high numbers at the high school level,” Mazurkiewicz said. “Our athletic director is aware of this and is working on the proper installation of cross country programs in our three middle schools for next year, which will quickly trickle into producing numbers for my teams.”
Nonetheless, the current Vikings have a ton of potential ahead of them, and they’ll continue to get stronger and faster, one mile at a time.
ITG Web Content
One Mile At A Time
Written by Sarah Turner
Photo by Micki K Photography
