Welcome to Mainland High School
The boys and girls cross country teams have had a year of trial and tribulation. Most people are not born runners and it takes diligence and dedication to become one. The many boys and girls who come out to run show up every day and try their best no matter what. They are a respectable group of young athletes and fine students who rise to any occasion.
Many of the girls, under Coach Laura Kieselbach, ran for the first time ever in their lives. Others returned to be part of a group of individuals who bond over the jubilation of shared pain and misery! Some first year runners were Schylar Howard, a sophomore who stepped up to run varsity and lettered her first year. Sara and Megan Rasmussen both came out to run and amazed the team and the coach with their dedication and determination. Shannon Belmonte suffered a major injury last year and was unable to run – this year, she returned with a vengeance! She ended up lettering at the varsity level because she NEVER GAVE UP!!! And our freshmen runners who came out this year certainly deserve some credit – Caitlyn McArdle and Kellie Blayney just kept on plugging forward to make major strides in their own personal accomplishments. Some returning runners included Gina DeJesus, our only returning senior who led the team as a dedicated captain, Aryana Downs, Ashley Bemis, who unfortunately suffered a major injury and could not run, and Cherniqua Henry, the girl we’ll be looking to next year to win some races! Many other girls came and went; still others stuck around despite the daily struggle. Those girls include Monica Whisenant, Monika Patel, Nicole Irvis, and Becky Garthwaite.
The boys of Mainland High School stepped up under the guidance of Coach Max Saylor to accomplish some amazing feats this season. Their star runner, Chris Rudloff, led the boys to regionals and is even headed to states this year. He has a personal best of 16:12 and continues to amaze his fans, his family and his team. Along with Chris, the team was known for a tripod of fury made up of Dylan Fisher, Roosevelt Cochran, and Joe Nichols. The three of these boys together were unstoppable and without their placement at districts, the team may not have made it to regionals. Some other star runners were Jimmy Vu and Eddie Karimi, both scoring big at districts to run their first regional race. Leading the team in spirit and motivation was senior Cameron Moore. Most impressive to see run are newbies who keep showing up and putting their best Nike forward. Some up and coming young runners Saylor had the pleasure to work with include Garrett Costanza (no relation to George!), David Ramsay, Tyler Burkett, and duel sport athlete Travis Dobler.
As you can imagine, nobody works harder than a runner. Every sport involves running but none quite like cross country. It takes time, patience, and motivation to get better at this sport and there are days when the pain is so great you may want to give up. Our runners just keep on going. We love and adore them all and are proud of a fabulous 2008-2009 season. It’s no wonder we call it “the toughest sport you’ll ever love!”
(386) 258-4665