Track Week 1 Three Things

Cross country is one thing for distance runners, running on a track is a whole different animal.  One would think that cross country beasts would thrive on the track, but that's not always the case.  The symmetry of running on a smooth oval suits some runners more than others.

Here are the three things I noticed culling through the results.

1.  Gianna Del Pizzo may be one such runner.  The Lehigh sophomore endured a good but not great cross country campaign.  She ran better as a freshman on the turf.  But she showed signs of rebounding at the Ida Baker Indoor/Outdoor in winning the 1,500 in 5:02.34.  Del Pizzo appears to be the girl to beat in Lee County over four laps.

2. Ava Povich, the best female cross country running in Lee County made her season debut at the Palmetto Ridge Invitational.  Povich, a junior at ECS, doubled in the 1,600 and 3,200.  She had her hands full in the 1,600 finishing second to Sonia Lountchenko running 5:29.15, losing a just a tick.  Povich came back in the 3,200 where she ran to an easy victory in 12:12.61, nearly a minute slower than her best.

3.  Fort Myers High sophomore Joseph Koraya scored his first victory taking the 3,000 at Ida Baker in 9:09.47, which equates to a sub 9:50 two mile.  Pretty stout running for a sophomore.  Kolton Pickard, Colsen Palmer and Jacob Fritz are still the top boys in Lee County but Koraya is going to be a force as the season progresses.