Stacie Nadel helps North Shore to fifth team title in row
North Shore junior Stacie Nadel legs out the final stretch of the Nassau County varsity girls cross country championship and state qualifier. (Nov. 2, 2013) Credit: James Escher
When North Shore runners stand on the starting line, one thing is for certain -- it's not an individual thing. It's a team thing. It's a program thing. It's a history thing. There just isn't much time to think about individual victories or personal best times.
"That's pretty much all we think about going into a race like this," senior Alexandra Osman said on North Shore's rich history. "We just want to keep it going because it's something we're really proud of."
That pride is free to continue. North Shore won its fifth consecutive county title, scoring 50 points at the Nassau County Championships Saturday at Bethpage State Park.
North Shore took five of the first sixteen places in route to the victory. Stacie Nadel topped the North Shore score sheet, finishing the 5K in ninth place in 19 minutes, 44.7 seconds.
"I tried to pass as many people as I possibly could and pushed myself harder than I usually do," Nadel said. "The start was packed because their were so many runners. All I could think about was getting out of the pack and trying to push past all those people."
Nadel took her teammates with her. North Shore, in much the same way they had done at last week's Nassau Class III championships, ran in a pack. Osman finished tenth in 19:48.2. Monica Morra was 11th in 19:49.3.
"We tried to emulate last week's strategy of running in a pack," Osman said. "Staying together and running as fast as possible is how you get the team results. That's how you move on as a group. I think it's way easier to overcome challenges as a group than individually."
As a senior, Osman can't wait to see the legacy that she helped continue.
"I'm really looking forward to coming back next year and watching them do it again," Osman said.
As a team, North Shore qualified for the New York State Championships, scheduled for next Saturday at Queensbury High School. Syosset and Friends Academy also qualified.
Garden City's Stephanie Gerland won the individual title, running an 18:36.6, 10.8 seconds faster than Calhoun's Grace Moore.
"I started out in a good position," Gerland said. "I went out pretty hard. I was in second place for the first half of the race, then it started going back and forth."
Gerland said she passed Moore shortly after the half way point and never looked back.
"I didn't hear her anymore, so I knew I was in good position," Gerland said.
