The Lady Hubs cross country team advanced to the IHSA Class 2A Sectional in Belvidere last season, and with nearly its entire varsity roster returning this fall, Rochelle is aiming to make another postseason run.
This item is available in full to subscribers.
To continue reading, you will need to either log in to your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.
If you are a current print subscriber, you can set up a free website account and connect your subscription to it by clicking here.
If you are a digital subscriber with an active, online-only subscription then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you've not yet logged in to your account on this new site.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
Please log in to continue |
ROCHELLE — The Lady Hubs cross country team advanced to the IHSA Class 2A Sectional in Belvidere last season, and with nearly its entire varsity roster returning this fall, Rochelle is aiming to make another postseason run.
Behind a deep junior class, the Lady Hubs recorded several top finishes in 2016 including a top-3 showing at the Genoa-Kingston Matt Walter Invitational and a runner-up performance at the Byron Invitational. Senior Morgan Baker is just one of the girls returning from last year, and both Baker and her teammates are excited to get the 2017 season started.
“I think we’re going to be a lot stronger this year,” Baker said. “The people who are returning have put in a lot of work over the summer and I think we’re going to do well. Competing during practices and pushing each other to work harder will definitely help, and having the right mindset to beat the person in front of you will help push us forward.”
Rochelle will begin its 2017 campaign at the Sycamore Invitational on Tuesday, Aug. 29. The girls will then head to Oregon on Saturday, Sept. 2, and they will host the Rochelle Invitational at Skare Park on Thursday, Sept. 14. Head coach John Dobbs said the Lady Hubs had a better summer than they did in 2016, and he said the girls have a great chance to improve on their results from last year.
“We did a nice job of improving and we didn’t have very many injuries so I think we can push them a little harder as coaches,” Dobbs said. “We can expect a little more from them now that they have some experience… They understand what it takes to be a successful team in meets and we can expect more out of them in practices.”
Seniors Hannah Cruz and Claire Plapp are back from 2016, while juniors Katherine Bakken and Anne Hickey are aiming to give the varsity team a boost as well. Cruz received praise from Dobbs for her offseason training this summer, and Cruz is looking to turn her effort into results this fall.
“Hannah is doing a nice job being a leader for our team,” Dobbs said. “She showed up the first day and remembered all our strides and forms we do... She’s going to be a nice leader for us.”
“I’ve been really excited to get back into cross country,” Cruz followed. “I think we have a lot of great runners… One of the best things we can do is motivate each other during meets, because it’s a team sport during meets and when you’re trying to get to sectionals, you want your whole team to get to sectionals.”
