Footlocker Northeast
Footlocker Northeast
12th place overall for senior, Nick Kuenkel
Nick Kuenkel was the lone runner continuing on after the Meet of Champions.
He had his sights set on the Footlocker Northeast Regional Meet in Boston on November 25th. Nick did a great job of training solo for two weeks (with occasional guest appearances by teammates for pre-workout warm-up runs or basic runs).
On the Friday after Thanksgiving, the entire Kuenkel family left bright and early for the long drive up to Boston. They got to Franklin Park in the early afternoon for packet pick-up and for Nick’s pre-meet run on the course. From there they headed to the meet hotel where they met up with Coach Shaklee who arrived by train. An early pre-meet meal of pasta and pizza was followed by an early bedtime to rest for the big event.
The morning of the race was a cold one (under 30 at race time) but, with the sun fully out and light wind, it felt fine. The field featured 5 of the top 9 runners from last year’s race as well as several other runners who were just out of the top 10 last year.
Nick knew he would need a great race to advance. At the gun, Nick got off of the line well but by the 400-meter mark the field swallowed him up and, while he was not far behind the leader, he was about 40th.
By the mile, he had moved into about 25th place and by two miles he was in sixteenth.
He was doing a great job of staying focused and moving forward but, the remaining runners in front of him were all exceptional athletes, and catching six of them would require an incredible finish.
When Nick exited the woods and hit the field about 600 meters from the finish, he was in fourteenth. Three runners were only two to three seconds ahead of him but the fourth runner he needed to get (in tenth place) was another 30 meters ahead and running strong.
Nick gave it all he had over the final 600 and caught two runners to finish in twelfth place, only two spots out of qualifying!
Although he was slightly disappointed to come so close and just miss making nationals, he realized (as did his coach) that he had run his best race of the season and had to be happy with ending on such a positive note.
Nick had a great season and a great cross country career at Cherokee. He will be running for Monmouth University next year and we expect his success to continue!
But first, we are excited for the coming track season! Nick is healthy and ready to train at an even higher level. He will be a contender for a state title or two this year and we can’t wait to see what he does!
Congratulations, Nick, and thanks for all you have done for our program!
Cherokee XC/TF Alum Party
To do:
Please RSVP here so we have an idea of how many people to expect!
Share this with 3 fellow alumni! Encourage them to join you!
Come hang with us at The Mile on 12/28!
Cost: $60 for college graduates and older. $30 for current college students or those of college age. Cost covers your admission to our private space, food, and a donation to 4xAlumni in support of current Cherokee XC/TF student-athletes!*
* Your donations to 4xAlumni have and will continue to fund travel and lodging for championship meets and invitationals, recognition/awards (varsity jackets, for instance) for state championship/high achieving teams and athletes, scholarships for graduating seniors, and much more to come! Thank you for your support.
You can Venmo @Cherokee4xAlumni in advance or pay cash or Venmo at the door. Donations are more than welcome and appreciated even if you are unable to attend the party.