Heading into Saturday’s state cross country meet at National Trail Raceway in Hebron, Ohio, Independence head coach Craig Polman had modest goals for his girls’ team, which was making its first trip to the event, and freshman runner Tyler Polman, the only Blue Devils’ boys’ runner to qualify.
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| Jen Wisniewski finished 10th overall |
He wasn’t disappointed.
The girls’ team finished eighth overall, paced by all-Ohioans Jen Wisniewski and Dana Zaccardelli, and Polman finished sixth in the boys’ race.
“I think it was a very successful day for us,” coach Polman said. “Realistically, our goal (for the girls) was to finish in the top nine or 10 teams and we exceeded that by a little bit when we came in eighth.”
Wisniewski finished in 10th place overall with a time of 19:10.72. She was 22nd last year as a sophomore.
“Jen is an experienced runner and she really used that to her advantage,” Polman said. “She felt like she got out a little too slowly last year and had to work her way up to get (to 22nd). This year she got out a little bit quicker, by a couple of seconds, but in a pack as tight as it is (at state), that’s quite a few runners.”
Zaccardelli, a freshman followed her teammate’s lead and finished in 11th place with a time of 19:11.15.
“Dana was just able to capitalize on Jen’s experience,” Polman said. “Her instructions were to go out and follow Jen’s lead and that’s exactly what she did.”
Wisniewski and Zaccardelli made their initial push at the half mile mark and maintained their pace to finish with all-Ohio honors.
Junior Ashley Pucella was 87th overall (20:56.47), freshman Nicole Zaccardelli was 89th (20:57.23), senior Crystal Hajek was 100th (21:19.13) and freshman Maria Sagi was 115th (21:33.52).
“Our top two really set the tone for the day and after that, Ashley Pucella had one of her stronger races. That was one of her best meets of the season. She saved it for the state meet,” Polman said. “Nicole Zaccardelli was just following in Ashley’s footsteps and Crystal, our senior captain was our fifth runner.
“Maria, our freshman, had kind of rough day. She was our No. 3 runner early in the season and was a big part of why we were able to get down there (to state). She has been fighting plantar fasciitis the last few weeks and had a rough go of it yesterday. Hopefully she’ll heal up and come back with a strong performance come track season.”
Polman was especially pleased with the performance of senior Julia Ripepi, who finished 123rd overall with a time of 21:54.54.
Ripepi got a late start to her running career. She didn’t join the Blue Devils until her sophomore year and struggled to even complete a race.
As a senior, she contributed to the first girls’ team to qualify for the state meet in school history.
“That’s a thrilling story with Julia Ripepi,” Polman said. “When she started running she was struggling to complete a race without walking. She’d run some, walk some. Two years later and she’s running in the state meet. I know it meant a lot to her to be able to work her way up and pass some people. It was thrilling for me and her to see where she came from to being able to participate in the state meet.”
Liberty Center claimed its third Division III state championship in a row. Gilmour Academy finished second and Coldwater was third.
Tyler Polman followed in his older brothers’ footsteps in running in the state meet as a freshman. But, he finished with a faster time than both Ryan and Kyle did as freshmen.
Tyler finished in sixth place overall with a time of 16:17.80. Ryan finished 20th overall in 2008 with a time of 16:21 and Kyle was fourth in 2009 with a time of 16:18.
“He was right where his siblings were, almost dead-on,” said coach Polman and the father of the three Polman boys. “It was kind of amazing they were so close at the state meet as freshmen.”
Tyler Polman entered the meet with a goal of placing among the top 10.
He finished less than two seconds from a top 5 finish.
“That was a really strong goal as a freshman,” coach Polman said. “I think when you looked at the field of runners that were there, the winner Bobby Johnson (of McDonald) is one guy in the entire field that there’s no way Tyler can run with him unless Bobby is sick or injured, but everybody else in the field he could. It was doubtful he could finish second, but I could conceivably see a way he could beat those guys.”
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| Tyler Polman finished sixth |
Johnson finished first with a time of 15:45.48. The second place finisher, Tristan Dahmen of Maplewood, ran a time of 16:07.49.
Polman got off to a slow start, by state meet standards, but continued to push past the field until the finish line was in sight.
“He went in with a lot of confidence and ran a smart race,” coach Polman said. “He went out a little conservatively for a state meet, but maybe a little aggressive for the way he races. He worked his way up the whole meet and passed two more kids in the final straightaway as the came down the drag strip near the finish.”
Ryan Polman went on to win a state championship as a sophomore. He finished fifth as a junior and second as a senior. Kyle Polman was 12th as a sophomore, ninth as a junior and third as a senior. Both ran a time of 15:24 as seniors.
Compared to previous years, when Independence was considered one of the favorites to win the boys’ state championship, Craig Polman was as comfortable as possible watching his girls compete as a team at state for the first time and his youngest son make his first appearance at the state meet.
“I found it to be a really relaxing meet,” he said. “In past meets we were expected to win or finish as one of the top teams in the boys’ race. We were always competing for the individual crown. This year, not that we didn’t have high individual goals, we did, but it was very relaxing to sit there and not have to be nervous and worry. I think that actually helped (all the Independence runners) out. They felt the goals they set for themselves were attainable and went out and focused on them as a group.”
With most of his runners returning in 2014, Polman is excited about the possibilities of having both the boys’ and girls’ teams competing at state.
“We have a very young team,” he said. “Three of the girls and Tyler, four of our eight runners, were freshmen, so that’s a good trend for the future. The teams that have success are teams that have strong programs and just rejuvenate programs each and every year. They graduate people every year but find people to come in and fill those shoes. That’s the challenge I’m throwing out to the kids, especially the girls, to not just focus on your own personal accomplishments. Try to spread your enthusiasm to your friends and get them involved.”
