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Welcome to the Girls Cross Country home page. For additional information
on the Girls Cross Country program please contact Head Coach Mr. Matt Haffner at
matthew.haffner@ignatius.org.
For a complete faculty and staff contact list, please visit our Contact Info page.
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IHSA Sectional Champions
1987, 1989
IHSA Regional Champions
1981, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2005, 2010, 2011, 2012
Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Champions
1981, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1989, 2008, 2012
Introduction
Cross Country is an endurance sport that incorporates both team and individual components.
Saint Ignatius has a modified no-cut policy with respect to this program. This policy
allows new student-athletes the opportunity to learn the sport at their own rate.
Returnees of all skill levels are expected be in shape when the season starts so
they can handle the training volume of the varsity team. To remain on the team,
all student-athletes must commit to all of the meets and practices on the schedule.
Team
In cross country, there are three different team levels: varsity, freshman/sophomore
and junior varsity. While all three levels practice together on a daily basis, the
team is divided into these three levels for meets. Race distances range from 2.0
to 3.1 miles. Runners are expected to set individual goals while working together
with their teammates in order to achieve team goals throughout the season. The standards
for earning a varsity letter are: 1) running in two varsity races during the season,
2) running 20:30 on a 3-mile course or 3) being on the IHSA State Series roster.
Saint Ignatius competes in the Girls Catholic Athletics Conference
and the Class Saint Ignatius competes in the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference
and the Class 3A Division of the IHSA. All-Conference honors are extended to any
athletes achieving first through 15th place finishes in the varsity conference championship.
State Championship participation is determined by team and individual finishes at
the IHSA Regional and Sectional Meets.
Last Season Recap
The varsity girls cross-country team won five of its nine invitational meets this
season highlighted by victories in both the GCAC Championship and the IHSA Regional
meet. Other victories came at the ICOPS Invite, the Ignatius-Fenwick Invite and
the U-High Invite. The team finished with a record of 144- 19.
For the first time in school history, five girls ran under 19:00 for three miles,
led by Veronica Boswell’s season best of 18:03. Boswell earned GCAC Athlete of the
Year honors after winning the GCAC Meet. She was joined on the All-GCAC team by
sophomores Jill Porretta (3rd place), Olivia Meyer (4th), Alexis Jakubowski (6th)
and Maggie Connolly (8th). Porretta and Meyer also earned All-Regional team honors.
At the Sectional Meet the team finished 7th behind five teams that finished in the
top 14 at the State Finals.
The frosh-soph team won three of its four invites and finished with a record of
70-4. The JV team finished with a record of 150-13, finishing no worse than third
in any invitational. Twenty-eight different girls reached the award stand during
the season and 24 different runners recorded top-10 finishes during the season.
Veronica Boswell, Anastasia Bouchelion, Maddy Giella, Caroline McGowan, Olivia Meyer
and Mary Kate Skalitzky won races and top-5 finishes were recorded by Sarah Devitt,
Clare Egan, Elly Hayn, Alexis Jakubowski, Jill Porretta, Helen Roach, Catie Tresslar
and Grace Troy. Ten runners who posted times of 20:10 or better are returning next
year so the future looks bright. The team will look to add an 8th GCAC Championship
and a 9th State Finals appearance in 2013.