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DistancePreps.com Frosh of the Week #3Published by
At DistancePreps.com our motto is "The Future Runs Now." Week 3 into the FHSAA Cross Country season saw a good many performances from across the State and this week we're delighted to recognize 2 freshman who are making an impact early for their respective teams and freshmen rankings with fine performances. We saw first-hand the fortitude and determination displayed by Creekside's Tara Openshaw as she and her Creekside teammates made a statement at the Mountain Dew Invitational finishing 2nd overall to nationally ranked, Pine Crest. It's not too often that a freshman leads his team across the finish line during his first 4 high school races but that's exactly what Trevor Foley has done for his Nature Coast Tech team.
Tara Openshaw, Creekside HS (Mountain Dew Invitational, 19:12.58) Tara Openshaw is our Girls Frosh of the Week
With 2 sub 20 outings to her credit, Tara's high school career is off to a great start. She placed 5th at the University of North Florida 110% Invitational in 19:22.14. Just this past weekend at the Mountain Dew Invitational, Tara finished 19th overall in the Girls Varsity race and was the first freshman across the line. Tara was out early alongside her Creekside teammates and although she struggled during the latter portions of the race, she showed real desire and determination composing herself and getting across the line helping Creekside earn team runner-up accolades. Tara enthusiastically states, “when I started this sport at the beginning of the summer, I knew I had a lot of work ahead of me. Cross country was never a sport I expected to like, let alone love. My team has become my second family and a home away from home. I love all of these girls like sisters…especially my sister. This season, I have been working towards breaking 18:30. My goal is to also place in the top 25 at States."
Coach Gooding adds, "Tara has been such a blessing to our cross country team. She started training with us at the beginning of the summer and immediately wanted to train with the varsity. She was never timid running with the seniors on the team. She went to Brevard Distance Running Camp with our team for a week this summer and really bonded with her teammates. One thing our team values is being hard core. We stress the importance of pushing our bodies and not to give up when the pain starts. Tara’s race last week at the UF Mountain Dew Invitational earned her some big time hard core points. After running her heart out and giving her all, her body just couldn’t go any more. She fell, got back up, fell again and eventually crawled across the finish line to a PR. That kind of determination is a quality well beyond her years."
View Tara in action at the Mountain Dew Invitational View the entire Varsity Girls Race HERE
Trevor Foley, Nature Coast Tech (16:41.16, Crystal River Invitational) Trevor Foley is our Boys FROSH of the Week
Trevor is no stranger to great competition rising up through the middle school ranks as one of the State's top prospects. His 4:21 1500 speed is a real benefit as well and he has exploded onto the high school scene winning 3 of his 4 outings this season. Trevor's last 2 outings, wins at Chrystal River and the Nature Coast Tech Invitational have seen his stock rise immeasurably. It's one thing to lead your team and quite another to be amongst the race favorites week in and week out. If his recent performances are any indicator, we'll be hearing his name a lot in 2A discussions as the season progresses.
Trevor - "This past Monday, the team and I had a benchmark workout and really killed it. We all ran times we thought we would not run for at least 2 more weeks, so the team and myself are getting stronger and faster. We are really looking forward to the Mitchell Invite where I am going for a top 5 finish individually and for the team to run just as fast as we can so we can get some PR's. We are all working hard for October 30th, Districts, at home, where we look to win."
Coach Milholland adds, "Trevor Foley, first of all, is a great individual, from a wonderful and supportive family background. This gives a solid foundation to him becoming a great runner. He is one of the hardest working athletes I have, and he deserves every bit of his success, based on his practices and how invested he is in this. He is always curious about his competition, asking the right questions about how to race, and I am sure he is someone that runs a race in his head a 1000 times before he actually runs the race. I know that he likes being able to train with a group of individuals that have a common goal, and that you can see his progression every week of practice, especially in mile repeats. I know that he and I want him to run his best times, not during the regular season, but at the end when it counts the most. Trevor's goals include running well at districts and having the team be district champs. He wants the team to do well at regionals and he wants to running individually in the top 3 runners. He has a lofty goal at states of running in the top 10 individuals. If anyone as a freshman can accomplish these goals, Trevor can. My goal as a coach, is to keep him healthy the entire season so that he can accomplish his goals.
There are many factors that come into play when determining the "Frosh of the Week", including; time, place, rank against other freshmen, and overall impact they have on their team. We will not highlight the same Frosh more than once and the honors are purely subjective. If you wish to nominate your athlete for "Frosh of the Week" e-mail us at [email protected] with their name and why they are deserving of the honor.
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