"I'm Going to Run at the State Meet"

"I want to do well this year"

After the 2009 season I spent much of the winter trying to come up with a strategy on how to change the culture of the girls team. The program had improved and showed glimpses of "turning the corner" only to regress the following year. The attitude and work ethic of the girls was very inconsistent. This had to change. There were several runners that had underachieved and just needed the right focus and training to turn it around quickly. Senior Jessica Bruggeman was one of those runners. Bruggeman had shown potential as a freshmen running in the low 21's; however, she regressed the following two years. Jessica came to me early in the summer, "Coach, I want to do well this year. I will train hard." This was huge to have a senior that could have coasted through another season and move on to college life.

Jessica put in a solid summer of training. Her effort and motivation was key in moving the team to the next level. Bruggeman dropped her times under 21 and became a solid #5 runner by season's end. Her consistent performances were critical especially at the regional meet. Jessica passed 4 opponents in the last 400 propelling the girls team to its first ever state meet birth. It was a historic moment for the program.