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Another day, another dynasty
WJ starts anew with its freshman fab four
By BRIAN McNICOLL
Journal sports editor
Marcus Hershberger and Aaron Anderson finished 1-2 to carry the Gaithersburg boys to an easy victory in the county cross country championships yesterday at Gaithersburg. Walter Johnson's Fanvel (sic) Chageza finished third. Katherine Frey/Journal
It's too late now.
Four freshmen cut from the Walter Johnson High's girls soccer program teamed to lift the Wildcats to victory in the county cross country meet yesterday in Gaithersburg. And the taste of victory proved too sweet – three of the four say they won't go back to soccer.
"I'm pretty sure we'll all stay now," said Erin Graves, one of coach Greg Dunston's Fabulous Four freshmen. "My mom and our coaches have been saying we could be a strong team if we all stay together. So it looks like we will. We have a lot to uphold."
The Fab Four came up big at Gaithersburg. Tara Bansal, the Wildcats' only senior, finished 10th overall. But freshman Alba Serrano finished 12th, sophomore Shawna Truelove 16th, freshman Ashley St. Denis 17th, sophomore Louise Wingfield 27th, and freshman Kim Phillips 31st as Walter Johnson finished with 82 points to best runner-up and pre-race favorite Gaithersburg by three.
Karen Pulliam of Quince Orchard, the overwhelming individual favorite, ran to form. She won the race in 18:45, more than 54 seconds ahead of runner-up Megan Kirby of Gaithersburg.
The Cougars actually claimed third and fourth places, with Stacey Broadbent and Lindsey Schneider respectively. But and injury to No. 4 runner Samantha Lawrence forced Quince Orchard to keep two cards that totaled 100 points and sent the Cougars to a third-place finish.
In the boys, Marcus Hersberger (sic) and Aaron Anderson finished 1-2 for Gaithersburg as the Trojans won easily. Gaithersburg finished with 57 points; runner-up Walter Johnson had 120.
But the cross country community – its sites set on seeing WJ's dynasty end – was served notice the Wildcats may stand at the threshold of a run that will put even the current streak – four straight state titles – to shame. To put it into perspective, Walter Johnson won without a runner finishing higher than 10th. WJ's five best times came from a senior, two sophomores and three freshmen. Graves, whose finish was not one of the top five runners on her team, finished 46th in 22:05.2. Five teams did not have a runners finish as high as 46th. She finished better than all but five of the No. 4 runners in the race.
Dunston's past magic contributed to his present. Graves has had a brother and sister run for Dunston, the Montgomery Journal's reigning cross country and girls track and field coach of the year. Her mom told her it definitely wasn't the end of the world she got cut from soccer because her mom knew what the cross country team would do.
"You know coming into WJ that the cross country team is good," said freshman Alba Serrano, who finished 12th overall in 20:40.5. "Everybody talks about it. It's just fun to be part of a winner."
Bansal, said the freshmen, provided the link to WJ's past, which has included Sally Glynn, the area's top runner her last three years of high school, and the four titles in the late 1990s. Dunston, they said, provided the stability, instruction and encouragement. To bolster their confidence before yesterday's race, he entered all four in the freshman race last Saturday at Georgetown Prep. Against a field that included top cross country schools from throughout the Mid-Atlantic, the freshmen won by two points.
"The upperclassmen have been so helpful to us," said Phillips. "They showed us the way, but in a good way, they let us figure out things for ourselves."
Dunston said he told the girls after they got cut from soccer that if they hung with it and hung together, they could be something special. He then worked and waited for them to emerge. "They would get worried around the varsity," Dunston said. "It was like they didn't think they were supposed to be there."
They do now.
Pulliam didn't run her best time but she may have had her best time all season. She left the pack quickly with her friend and teammate, Lindsey Schneider. They ran together for a mile, then Pulliam did the rest by herself.
"It felt really good to be out there with Lindsey," said Pulliam. "When you have a pack, the pace feels slower. It's harder being in the lead. You have to battle yourself to keep up your speed. But this was perfect."
It wasn't Hershberger, the defending state champ, who carried the Trojans to the team victory. It wasn't even Anderson, the runner-up. Both ran well but could have run better had they not been in the delicate words of Trojans coach Herb Tolbert, super-hydrated. "Marcus told me he could have run a lot faster, but he was worried about having an accident out there," he said.
But to Tolbert, the No. 4 runner, Eric Pauley, made all the difference.
Pauley, who finished 13th, suffered an injury early this season to his illial tibial (sic) band, a tendon that runs down the side of the leg outside the knee. He went through the steps – rest, ice and exercise – with diligence, Tolbert said.
"It's taken him a long time to get back to where he was," said Tolbert. "And he really didn't until today."
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