Lady Sailors make strides

Every fall, the high school sports pages are dominated by the activities on the football field, soccer pitch, or volleyball court. But the punishing workouts carried out by the cross-country runners throughout the land are something to behold. 

While catching, kicking, serving, and hitting are all worth noting, for runners, it’s all about the grueling preparation. If a runner isn’t building a mileage base or lung capacity during the summer months, chances are that he or she is not going to be successful during the fall season.

While there wasn’t a county championship at Oceanside this fall, the Lady Sailors made some strides on the cross-country circuit. With underclassmen making vast improvement throughout the year, and only three seniors on the roster, the future looks rosy.

Head coach Claire Johnson, who just finished up her 28th season, is pleased with the present, and excited about the future. “We performed well in dual meets, beating Uniondale and Baldwin, and followed up a tough season with a good one,” Johnson said. “But, the most impressive thing is the way the girls battled. They never quit. The underclassmen showed a lot of heart and desire. That kind of work ethic is going to pay off in the future.”

The freshmen and sophomore runners opened a lot of eyes with their intestinal fortitude, but Kristen Eckstrom, the team’s most experienced runner, was instrumental in the team’s growth. The senior captain was a leader on and off the course, and put up a personal best 24:08 at Bethpage State Park in October.

Eckstrom and six others had strong performances at the county championship meet and earned a spot in the state qualifier. Freshman Josena Joseph, who put up her best time of the year at the state qualifier, was joined by sophomores Kathleen Lucey, Megan Lutz, and Sydney Leider, and freshmen Amanda Bonacasa and Christina Moran. 

Things started to take shape at the League Meet No. 5, which included Conferences 1 & 4. Eckstrom finished fifth in the race, but it was the contingent of Oceanside runners that followed that caught people’s attention. Freshmen Faith Johnson, Bonacasa, Joseph, and Moran all finished among the top 11 runners.

At the county championship meet, it was Lutz leading the way for the Lady Sailors. Her time of 23:26 was her personal best.

Johnson, who has led her program to a pair of county championships, has terrific respect for her team’s work ethic. “I’m big on alternative forms of exercise like swimming on cycling during the summer,” Johnson said. “The girls train six days a week, and run 3-5 miles each day or do speed workouts. They’re very dedicated to improving.”