Vikings are off and running

by Eric Keppeler
Grand Island Dispatch, October 6, 2006

The Grand Island boys and girls cross country teams have set some high goals for themselves for 2006, and both squads are performing admirably so far.

The well-stocked boys team is 4-0 in Niagara Frontier League competition, while the girls check in at 3-1. And both units have sectional playoff aspirations, as well, but they must continue to perform at a high level.

“I’ve always believed that you’re only as strong as your weakest link,” said Grand Island cross country coach Don Sauer. “If your seventh guy finishes pretty close to where your first guy finishes, then you’re in really good shape. But our goal is always to improve.”

The boys have a solid tandem in senior Tim Fargino and sophomore Evan Tsembelist, who have finished 1-2 in that order in every league meet so far. Coming off an injury, Fargino also runs indoor and outdoor track, and he went to the New York State Indoor Championship last winter. Tsembelist, Sauer says, is just a good young talent.

“Those two have been great,” he said. “They’ve given us a solid 1-2 punch.”

Senior Brett Fidler has consistently been the third Viking to finish, while junior Ryan Hagen, junior Chris Carter, senior Joe Mash and sophomore Jordan Gibson have been interchangeable in slots four through seven. But they all manage to finish fairly close to the front of the pack, which has given the Vikings key points and allowed them to win all of their league meets so far.

The Grand Island boys finished third last year in the NFL behind Lockport and Kenmore East. The Vikes also went on to place a disappointing 10th as a team at the sectionals, and Sauer hopes to improve on both of those marks.

“We’re working hard and really pushing ourselves,” he said. “I think we can finish better than third in the league this year. I’m hoping that our two top runners can individually be in the top five in the NFL, and we want to do much better in sectionals this time.”

The girls aren’t quite as deep, but they’ve had good results so far. Senior co-captain Bridget George and junior Caitlyn Driscoll have taken turns as the top Viking finisher, which is fine with Sauer, because he says they push each other to be better.

Senior Emily Kahn, the team’s other co-captain, has been a solid No. 3, while seniors Traci Aladeen, Karen Bellanca and Caroline Boron round out the group.

“Our top three have been very consistent,” Sauer said. “We need a little more from four and up. We finished third at sectionals last year, and we hope to at least match that, but we know we have to keep working hard.”

The Vikings will get a chance to test their mettle against some of the top runners in the nation this weekend at the Disney Orlando Invitational at the Wide World of Sports Complex.

“This is a great opportunity for us,” Sauer said.