Left: Bay junior Michael Brajdic became the first Rocket runner to win a state title when he won the Division II crown last Saturday in Columbus. Right: Magnificat senior Madeline Chambers finished as state runner-up and led her teammates to a second-straight Division I championship at Scioto Downs. (West Life photos by Larry Bennet)

Brajdic, Blue Streaks win crowns
By Jim Horvath
Sports
Published Nov. 11, 2009

Magnificat head coach Anjanette Arabian Whitman called it a true repeat.

Bay head coach Steve Babson felt confident his No. 1 runner would reach his season-long goal.

When it was all said and done, Bay junior Michael Brajdic and the Magnificat cross country team came out on top to win their respective titles at the Ohio State Cross Country Championships at Scioto Downs in Columbus last Saturday.

The Blue Streaks, looking to defend their Division I championship of a year ago, did so in record-breaking fashion. Magnificat set a new state record, recording the lowest team score in girls state meet history with 28 points. The team, like most of the past two seasons, wasn’t challenged as second-place Springboro finished 109 points back of the Streaks with a score of 137.

Brajdic didn’t set any records on the day with his winning time of 15:49.81 in the Division II boys race. But he did set a new standard for the school’s storied cross country program. With the win, he became the first cross country runner to win a state championship in school history.

“It’s nice to have somebody finally break through and win it,” Babson said. “We’ve had a couple of second-place finishers, but up to now, nobody from Bay has ever won it.

“After watching how he trained over the summer and seeing how he prepared his race strategy week to week, I felt he could do it,” Babson said. “I think his strategy gave him the confidence that he could win it this year.

“Being patient, I think, is his top priority,” Babson said. “I think yesterday you saw a number of runners go out fast and get a pretty good lead, only to fall off at the end. Not too many people are going to go out and lead wire to wire. Michael knows that, and he’s willing to wait back and let other people do the work, then make his move at the end.

“Saturday was a good day to let that strategy pay off,” he added.

That was pretty much the game plan for the Magnificat girls as they placed three runners in the top 10 overall and had five runners in the top 10 in the team scoring.

“Each time out, we look at the competition, lay out a team strategy and make it work,” Arabian Whitman said last Sunday afternoon.

“For us, it’s the same approach for every meet,” Arabian Whitman said. “We don’t get all hyped up because if we do, we know we won’t perform like we’re capable of. We keep it simple. We do what we know we’re capable of doing, and that works for us.”

Magnificat senior Madeline Chambers, top, raises the team championship trophy after the Blue Streaks set a state scoring record and repeated as Division I champions last Saturday at Scioto Downs in Columbus. (Photo courtesy of Dan Riley)

Senior Madeline Chambers ran a strong race, taking second overall with her time of 18:07.35, just seconds behind state champion Meredith Wagner of Sylvania Northview (18:03. 90).

Chambers did beat her regional meet nemesis, North Royalton junior Hannah Neczypor, who took third with a time of 18:15.30. Chambers’ older sister, Kaitlyn, was also a state runner-up in 2003 as a junior, according to Arabian Whitman.

“She’s a very humble person,” said Arabian Whitman about her No. 1 runner.

“It’s not all about her, it’s about her team,” she said. “She’s the fourth sister in the family, and they were all here to watch. I think she was down here watching this meet since she was around 9 years old. It was really nice to see her finish the season like this.”

The Fischer twins, Clare and Abby, again were key in allowing Magnificat to dominate the field. Clare took seventh place overall with her time of 18:43.31, while Abby came in eighth at 18:44.22. Abbie Marquard was the fourth finisher for the Streaks, coming in 20th overall and ninth in the team scoring with her time of 19:11.58.

The team’s fifth finisher, Erin Riley, set a new personal best on the day to take 21st overall and 10th in the team scoring. She took 13 seconds off her best time and ran a strong 19:11.67, despite missing the district meet due to illness.

Kat Stultz came in 44th overall with her time of 19:42.40, while Mary Whitmore rounded out the Magnificat lineup with her time of 20:48.87.

“We knew people were watching us, wanting to see what we would do this time,” Arabian Whitman said. “But the girls knew all along we still had to work hard, still had to prepare and still had to line up at the starting line, just like everybody else.

“The girls had both individual and team goals in mind,” she said. “They raced in a steady and controlled fashion, which allowed them to execute their individual plans perfectly. They radiated pure happiness and satisfaction as they held hands on the winner’s podium, which demonstrated just how connected they are.

“They will share that memory for the rest of their lives,” she added.

Brajdic, like the Magnificat squad, will get a chance for one more memory next fall. His nearest competitors last Saturday were senior Brad Liston of Circleville, who took the runner-up spot with his time of 15:58.18. Elyria Catholic senior Marty Coolidge was right behind in third with his time of 16:03.73.

The nearest underclassman to the Bay junior was Kyle Cochrun of Woodridge. Cochrun, also a junior, finished 12th with a time of 16:24.88.