Friday, Nov. 21, 2008

Sophomore Sprints to Silver at State

Cross Country Journal

By John English

Contributing Writer

Alyssa Nielson proved why she is one of the best runners in the state on Saturday.

The Colleyville Heritage sophomore finished second in the state cross country meet with a time of 10:55.5, bringing home a silver medal to the Panthers cross country program.

Coach Lindy Lombard said Nielson ran as well as could have been expected.

"It was a very exciting atmosphere; I hadn’t been to the state meet in many years," Lombard said. "Aly ran a very smart race. The start had some places that could cause problems, and Aly managed to gain a great position going up the first hill. She exceeded her own expectations that day."

Lombard said she feels that Nielson’s performance at region and state this year have helped put the Colleyville Heritage cross country program on the map.

"Obviously, Aly gives our program a representative at the regional and state level," Lombard said. "Aly’s accomplishments are a huge inspiration to other runners in the program, but she is also a tremendous teammate. Aly is constantly out there encouraging her teammates to improve; she enjoys seeing her fellow runners succeed."

Lombard said the second-place finish at state can serve as the cornerstone on which she can continue to build the Panthers running program.

"Her accomplishments are definitely something from which we can strive to build and improve," Lombard said. "From a team perspective, Aly’s finishes give us a great chance to be successful in meets. Our other varsity girls made tremendous improvements this season; I think they see the potential of our team’s success."

When the meet was completed, Lombard said things got kind of hectic.

"After the meet, we were celebrating her great race," Lombard said. "I congratulated her and told her we were all so proud. I was receiving text messages from other coaches in our school wishing to congratulate Aly, too. It was a great day."

Lombard said Nielson’s showing at state is something the entire Colleyville team can be proud of and said things are shaping up pretty well for next season already.

"I expect another big freshman class, which always adds something to the program," Lombard said. "Our goals are not only to improve, but to have teams with a chance to qualify for regionals. Whether we get there or not, we definitely want to be more competitive with our district opponents."