By John Linker
High energy comes in with the Healdsburg Greyhounds Cross Country team this year. With the surprise addition of 10 freshmen runners, the Hounds hope to boost their chances to make league champs. And although that might depend on the good health of their veteran runners, one can’t deny the fresh energy these freshmen bring to the team.
Friday afternoon, Aug. 30, on the mostly flat three-mile Rancho Invitational course that traverses both campuses of Rancho Cotate High School and Sonoma State University, the Healdsburg Hounds joined several other schools of the Sonoma County League, showcasing their new runners. Freshmen boys and girls both looked competitive.
In the freshman boys race, first of the day, beneath a punishing sun, the Hounds’ Lucas Welty, Domenico Cornilsen and Jack Beckman jolted out with an impressive start, Welty out in front by at least 25 yards. And although one would think they might slow mid-course, all three ended up in the top seven finalists.
Welty ran a swift time of 18:11, averaging a little over 6 minutes per mile and winning a third place medal; Cornilsen came in at 18:56, fifth place overall; while Beckman followed in sixth place with a time of 18:57. Rounding out the freshmen boys were William Ullyott (running with a broken arm in a 3D cast he designed himself) at 20:58, Max Hanson at 22:23, Tiarnan Kron at 23:47 and Jasper Wolske at 25:04.
In the freshman girls race, Maddie Herzberg blazed a path of her own, and led the pack for the first two miles before Emily Williams from Windsor High School passed her (Williams set a meet record). Still, for Herzberg to go out that fast and finish second shows tremendous promise for a good year. Her teammates were not far behind: Justina Domenichelli, with a strong last half-mile, finished at a formidable time of 25:24, while Savannah Anderson finished just behind her at 25:59.
Many of the incoming freshmen coming from the Healdsburg Junior High received training from the high school coach, Amy Anderson. Their hard work showed up today as they seemed unafraid, confident and happy to be running.
Head coach Mike Efram expressed the excitement the freshmen bring to the team, especially after losing quite a few seniors from last year. He is hopeful they can contribute to a successful season, but perhaps more than that, maintain that sense of “joy they bring to the team, always ready to go, never late,” he said.
“Strong freshman group; three freshmen girls and seven freshmen guys came in as a surprise, and it’s been a special surprise, bringing excitement to the team. [They are] dedicated, showed up every day, worked out hard every day and there’s joy—there’s a lot of joy on the team,” Efram said.
Ross Fitzpatrick, veteran senior runner for the Hounds, said, “We had a lot of seniors leaving, but this new group of freshmen, they just hit the ground running for our team. They’ve come in and they’ve been just so good during the workouts—they’ve been dedicated, they haven’t been complaining; it’s been amazing to watch. It’s already paying off for them.”
Among the older girls, Beatrice Hawkes finished at 21:08; Joie Kozubal at 24:40; Sierra Anderson at 24:44; and Alisa Strykowski at 26:09. The race winner was, to no one’s surprise, Hanne Thomsen, of Montgomery, with a blistering time of 16:24.
Among the upper-classes boys, Ross Fitzptrick finished at 20:36; Dash Willmore at 21:05; Wyatt Drew at 23:21; Max Hansen at 22:23; Brandon Hausman at 22:25; and Vadim Mielock at 23:46. Cormac Gaylord, of Analy, came in first among the boys with a time of 15:35.
With this new class of freshmen, the Hounds promise a very exciting 2024 season. As long as the upperclassmen can stay healthy, they could be a Division 5 surprise. Their next meet is the Lowell Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 7, at Golden Gate Park.
John Linker is a former HHS English teacher and cross country coach.
