Mustang Sofia Day outpaces the field
GALLOWAY – Mainland Regional High School freshman Sofia Day not only won the individual Cape-Atlantic League Cross Country Championship Thursday afternoon and led her fellow Mustangs to the team title, she dropped her time by more than half a minute from the week before on the very same course at Stockton University.
Day finished the course in 17:38.96 more than a minute ahead of the rest of the field – a field that included second-place finisher and teammate Gillian Lovett, a sophomore whose time was 18:47.57.
“My strategy was just to go out and do my best and help my team get to the top,” Day said, adding she wanted “just to do good and beat my PR.” She was excited about dropping her time so much and setting a new personal record.
“My PR for this course is 18:15 and last week I ran an 18:23. I was really excited to come in and see that 17 (on the timer),” she said.
Asked how she improved that much from one week to the next on the same course, Day explained she “just focused on keeping my speed up the whole time and not taking a break because I knew I could push myself and I believed in myself the whole time. It was nice being able to do these courses before because it taught me that I could do a faster pace and a better time.”
Day sprinted into the lead at the start of the race as all the competitors lined up on a big field at Stockton. By the time they funneled into the course, she was well ahead.
“I always like to lead from the front,” Day said. “My strategy is different for each race and who I’m versing, but I definitely prefer to lead from the front in the beginning because I feel it takes all of my nerves out from running with people.”
Day said her goal is to get into the top five in the upcoming races at sectionals and states and finish strong with her team.
Lovett was thrilled to take second in the CAL championship. She likes having Day out front because it gives her someone to key on.
“Oh my goodness, it’s awesome,” she said of her and her team’s finishes. “When I start my races I try to make sure I can see Sofia. And then I want to take off because I know what I can do.”
Mainland put all five of its scoring runners in the top 13 at the race to win the team title with 33 points. Ocean City’s Red Raiders, led by junior Grace McAfee in fifth place in 19:43.62, took second overall with 60 points. Cedar Creek was third with 97 points in the 13-team field.
Mustang coach Brian Smith said Day was a little slower last week than the 18:15 she ran a month ago on the course during the Osprey Invitational, but that was because she “caught a little bit of a stitch.”
“Today it was 17:38 so she dropped a lot of time. She put it all together today,” Smith said. “She was confident. It’s a tribute not just to her talent, but to the work she put in all season long. She’s been doing the workouts, she’s been working hard and she’s been focused. And she’s having fun too. That’s part of it. The team is really having fun. The team really came out today and ran a heck of a race today.”
The coach noted that Lovett came in third in the Atlantic County Championship and was able to break 19 minutes for the first time to get second at the CAL meet.
He said all of his athletes “are running personal record times and season bests today so we’re really gearing up for this championship season. The girls are looking forward to the challenges that we have ahead of us.
“We’re confident, we feel good where we are, but you still have to do it,” he said of the upcoming South Jersey sectionals and state championship races. “You still have to go out and perform and get your work in. They’ve been diligent about that. The girls see the opportunity, they obviously know what we’ve done so far this season and they’re focused on what we can do moving forward.”
Mustang sophomore Claudia Booth (19:48.32) was sixth and teammates Lily Malone (20:21.84) and sophomore Chloe Malone (20:33.18) were 11th and 13th to round out the scoring. Teammates Ava McDole, a freshman, was 15th in 20:35.62, and junior Sydney Luff (21:49.52) was 33rd.
For Ocean City, Chloe Care (19:54.04), a freshman, was seventh; sophomore Frankie Ritzel (20:19.60) was 10th; junior Cheryl Connell (20:44.16) was 17th, junior Olivia Palmieri (20:58.53) was 21st; senior Abby Inserra (21:01.32) was 23rd; and senior Emma Weber (21:26.54) was 27th.
By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
