After a run of three straight league championships, the Lindbergh boys cross-country team had to set its bar even higher in 2008. And after a league title, a district title and a fourth-place finish at state, the Eagles certainly came through.
Lindbergh has established itself as one of Washington’s 3A elite. The team hasn’t finished worse than eighth at state since 2004. So, where do the Eagles go from here?
“This year we’d like to move up higher on the awards stand. No one’s going to be satisfied with fourth,” said Lindbergh coach Jef Rettmann. “We were newbies on the regional level last year. We have a better sense of that now. We gained some experience and we’re ready to improve on that.”
Lindbergh competed in regional events like the Nike Pre-Nationals in Portland and the Team Nationals in Boise last season. The Eagles performed well (second at Pre-Nationals) and earned regional attention.
State-wise Rettmann said the Eagles are the second- or third-best 3A team in Washington right now, with returning state champion North Central still No. 1.
Senior Trevor Thompson takes over a new role as the team’s lead runner. In years past he shared that spot with the graduated Matt Miland (10th at state last season).
“He’s had the advantage of having Matt to train with but I think in some ways he’s excited about being his own person,” Rettmann said. “When one of those top runners has to be responsible for themselves, they sometimes make a breakthrough.”
Thompson has placed 23rd (2006), ninth (2007) and 14th (2008) at state the past three years. He’s been among the top echelon of Washington runners for three years. Thompson is in great shape and whether he can turn that into a state title just depends on his performance in the big meets.
“There’s no one who’s clearly better than him,” Rettmann said. “It kind of comes down to who has a good race on that day, who’s tougher.”
Nate Reitz (44th at state), James Cornell (72nd), Thanh Nguyen (78th) and Nate Tandecki (102nd) all return from last year’s varsity team.
Along with Miland, the Eagles lost Joseph Patti (45th) to graduation from varsity.
Other runners to watch: C.J. Timm, Mark Garcia, Luke Garcia, Nathan Haley, Alex Nelson, Brett Love and Ryan White.
The Eagles are set up well to fill in holes and build for the future with a strong JV team. The group ran well enough at the Seamount League meet last season that it would have qualified for districts if it was a separate team.
“It’s both a really cool thing that we take pride in and it’s a little frustrating in the sense that if these guys were a different team, they’d get to go to districts,” Rettmann said.
To get the JV team big-time experience Rettmann will enter them in the Pre-Nationals and Team Nationals as their own team.
For one of the state’s best teams, both results and expectations are high in 2009.
Girls
On the girls side, youth will lead the way. Last season with no varsity experience, the girls team won a league title. This season, with six of seven girls returning, the goals are for more.
Sophomore Sarah Reiter will lead the way. Reiter piled up wins in the regular season then suffered a stress fracture the week of the state meet. She was in the top 15 halfway through the state meet before the injury really started to affect her. Reiter finished 81st.
“It was really frustrating, but it made me stronger overall,” Reiter said. “Going to state kind of lets me know what to expect and gives me a taste of where I want to go.”
Rettmann echoed Reiter’s frustration, though he and the coaches didn’t know about the injury until after the race.
Reiter, who put in 260 miles this summer, hopes to finish in the top-10 at state.
Other varsity girls to watch: Jasmine Fallgreen, Anna Patti, Ericka Galindo, Nicolle Fawcett and Brenna Fisher.
