Appearing at the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division III state cross country meet as a freshman may be intimidating to some, but Garfield G-Men freshman Lina Kaufman is well-versed at competing on the big stage. Kaufman wrapped up her freshman cross country season by taking 20th place with a time of 18:53.74 to finish as a first team All-Ohioan last Saturday afternoon at Fortress Obetz.
“My goal going into this season was to make it to the state meet,” Kaufman said. “As I saw how my season was going, I really wanted to podium at state. I didn’t know if I would, but I did and I am so proud of myself.”
It marked the finishing touches on a breakout freshman campaign for Kaufman, who broke the school record for the fastest time ever run by a female G-Men runner in her first varsity race of the season and became the first female to win a district title. She wraps up her freshman cross country season with first team All-Ohio honors, which she hopes is just the beginning of an illustrious running career at Garfield.
On Saturday, Kaufman opened the race with a faster start than she was previously accustomed to. According to her, going out at a quicker pace was essential to her finding her footing at the front of the pack.
“It was definitely scary because my goal going into the race was that I wanted to be top 24 and get All-Ohio,” she added. “When I started the first mile, I was nervous, but my coaches told me to take a risk and start out fast and I did. They told me I would be able to move up in the race because when other people faded, I just moved up.”
At the first mile, Kaufman sat in 29th place but her strategy to start quicker paid dividends as she gained a head of steam entering the second mile and advanced to 10th place.
Kaufman said that while the new strategy pushed her out of her comfort zone, she could rely on her endurance to sustain her position in the top flight which allowed her to pick off several runners as she hit the second mile mark.
In the final stretch, Kaufman acknowledged that she started to fade after making her way over a hill but held strong in the final few hundred meters of the race, crossing the finish line in 20th place to end her cross-country season on a high note.
After a successful freshman cross country season, Kaufman said that she already has her sights set on carrying that momentum into the track season where she will be running long distance events and is also eager to return to the D-III state meet. She is looking forward to racing with her teammates and has set her sights set on ensuring that the G-Men girls secure a state team berth.
Coach Matt Pfleger said that Kaufman’s breakout freshman campaign has already inspired her teammates, as much of the team will return next year with the exception of one senior.
“Hopefully that can spread to the rest of the team and hopefully we can get the rest of the team down there next year,” noted the five-year coach.
Crestwood’s Seibold and Gonczy kick late to finish strong at D-III state debut
In addition to Kaufman’s dazzling end to her freshman season, Crestwood Red Devils’ juniors Maddie Grace Gonczy and Piper Seibold each overcome a slow start and finished on a high note, as Gonczy locked up 52nd place with a time of 19:43.89 and Seibold earned 68th place by clocking 19:58.44.
“I am really happy and so excited,” Gonczy said. “I have been wanting this and it is a dream come true. I am really hyped about it.”
The Red Devils’ duo ran side-by-side in the first two miles of the race, starting from 120th place at the first checkpoint and moving up to 41st place by the time they hit the second mile.
According to Sebiold, matching each other’s pace pushed both Crestwood runners to move up in the pack as the race wore on.
“This season we have been stride for stride all of the time in every road run and workout,” Seibold noted. “We are always together and are in the exact same stride so working together in the first two miles it was good to have each other and move off of and motivate each other and at times talk to each other and offer words of encouragement.”
After the second mile, the Red Devils’ duo kicked into high gear to make one last big push to pick off a few more runners.
Gonczy said that she found her second wind, enabling her to avoid a letdown in the final stretch of the race and ultimately captured 52nd place.
“I was like ‘I got myself here so why not give it my all?’” she noted. “The first two miles we do workouts together, so we know each other and are able to work with each other and in the last mile, I was like I am almost done, and I need to push.”
Seibold added that after getting a taste of the D-III state meet, she and Gonczy have a burning desire to not only qualify for state berths in their senior season but also really make their mark in Obetz.
