CROSS COUNTRY: FILLING UP WINNING SHOES STRENKOWSKI TAKES LEAD FOR OAK PARK.Byline: KEVIN CONNELLY Kevin Connelly was born in Middlesbrough, England. He is an impressionist comedian, and after dinner speaker and is probably most famous for his role on the popular BBC television programme 'Dead Ringers'. Special to the Daily News Bree Strenkowski never expected much of the spotlight. The senior, who was part of the Oak Park girls' cross country team that finished second in state Div. III last year, was perfectly content when teammate Courtney Lightfoot garnered most of the attention. But all that changed last spring, when Lightfoot -- the top female runner in Oak Park history -- fractured her ankle at the end of her sophomore season in track and field. The injury was a devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. blow for Strenkowski and the Eagles, who had expected to return four of their top five runners from last year's nationally competitive team. ``When we found out that Courtney couldn't run this year, I was at first a little nervous about of stepping into her role,'' said Strenkowski, who led the Eagles to a first-place finish Noun 1. first-place finish - a finish in first place (as in a race) win - a victory (as in a race or other competition); "he was happy to get the win" in the Div. III varsity race Saturday at the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto Palo Alto, city, California Palo Alto (păl`ō ăl`tō), city (1990 pop. 55,900), Santa Clara co., W Calif.; inc. 1894. Although primarily residential, Palo Alto has aerospace, electronics, and advanced research industries. . ``We all liked having Courtney there because it's a lot easier when you have a runner of her caliber carrying the team. '' Oak Park, ranked No. 3 in the area by the Daily News, remains the second-ranked team in state Div. III behind perennial small-school power Corona Del Mar Del Mar is the name of several places in the United States of America:
The Sea Kings defeated Oak Park by more than a minute at the state finals in Fresno last November, but they are also experiencing a transition period this year after graduating one of the state's all-time best in Annie St. Geme (Stanford). Nobody doubts that this year's Div. III final will once again feature Oak Park and Corona Del Mar. ``Our team is really young, but I definitely think we have a chance to compete for the state title,'' Strenkowski said. ``We're working hard every day, and we'll be right there if we continue to progress. It's scary that a girl as talented as Melissa (Skiba) is only a freshman.'' Skiba ran the best race of her young career at the Stanford Invitational, finishing third overall on the team with a 5,000-meter clocking of 20 minutes, 1 second. Oak Park coach Kevin Smith had to convince the novice just how impressive that race was. ``Sometimes the young girls need a little counseling,'' said Smith, the Daily News cross country coach of the year last season. ``Melissa was kind of pouting pout 1 v. pout·ed, pout·ing, pouts v.intr. 1. To exhibit displeasure or disappointment; sulk. 2. To protrude the lips in an expression of displeasure or sulkiness. after the race like she was disappointed with her time, but to finish in the top 30 overall in a race of that magnitude is huge for this team.'' The Eagles, whose starting five also includes juniors Marissa Diehl and Kirsten Jackson, and sophomore Julie Kopstein, will resume action Saturday at the Clovis Invitational in Fresno, where top teams in the state like Corona Del Mar, Royal of Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. and Crescenta Valley The Crescenta Valley is a small inland valley in Los Angeles County, California. Its name derives from its crescent-like shape, with the convex portion facing roughly northeast and the concave portion southwest. of La Crescenta are also scheduled to appear. The race will take place the Woodward Park Woodward Park (34 acres) is a public park, botanical garden, and arboretum located between 21st Street and 24th Street, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It is open to the public daily. course, which is the scheduled site for this year's state finals in November. ``This is one of the most important meets of the year,'' Strenkowski said. ``But we're ready. There may be a few butterflies there, but I'm mainly just excited to see where we stand against those other talented teams.'' kevin.connelly@dailynews.com (818) 713-3607 CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: STRENKOWSKI Box: LOCAL HEROES |
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