Farragut Cross Country works to rebuild
Last year’s Cross Country Team had a great season proving that the efforts of a few can yield great results. The team consisted of talented athletes who took 1st place in the District Championship, 3rd in the Region and 5th in State.
When you consider that the typical cross country team consists of 15 or more runners who can apply strategies to box runners in, and Farragut achieved success with half of that number the talent and the will of the team spoke for itself. Graduation hurts every year, but when you lose 6 of your 8 athletes you can definitely say we are rebuilding. Not only are we rebuilding the boys team but the girls as well. Our lady’s team consisted of three athletes and we are looking to them to inspire a new generation of outstanding female runners. This summer we had 4 hard working Freshmen running with returning senior and team captain Philip Henderson. Phil, Cole Kolodestky and Emmitt Sanentz are the only varsity boy members not part of last years graduating class. Although most of our varsity runners are freshman, they are doing really well, and are very focused on bringing success to the Cross Country program. We are still looking to increase our numbers and I encourage any potential athlete or spring sport athlete who would like to condition in the off season to come and give the Cross Country program a try. Our parent support is amazing. Last year our team parents made pasta dinners the night before all of our races, which not only fueled performance but aided our athletes in forming the bonds of sportsmanship and team.
Celebrating our Seniors
Philip Henderson is no stranger to athletic competition at Farragut, joining the school his freshman year competing in Lacrosse, Cross Country, and Track. His sophomore year put him on the map as a Farragut runner. Taking 1st in the District Championship in 2017 and placing 24th in the State meet. With the support of the Cross Country Team in 2018 he took 1st in the District Championship, 1st in the St. Petersburg, Championship, 2nd in the Regional Championship, and 10th at the State meet. He has also been recognized in FloridaRunner, (flrunner) as one of the top 50 junior runners in the state. Ranking him 31st in the 400, 14th in the 800, and 17th in the 1600. Currently Phil’s name appears on the Farragut record board for the 400, 800 and as part of last years 4×8 team. This speaks to the dedication and training Philip has put forth. Hopefully we will be adding a few more records his senior year.
Cole Kolodestky participates in Farragut’s Cross Country and Track teams joining in his sophomore year, running a respectable 5000 with a time of 20:04.10. Cole is known to the team as a comedian and is always lightening the mood, especially on the long runs. Cole is no joke when it comes to hard work he improved his time in 2018 during the State Meet with a PR finish time of 19:01.49. He also is a competitive member of the track team cutting a full minute from his 3200 and reducing his time in the 1600 and 800. Cole is continuing to build his base with a goal of 18:00.00 PR in Cross Country this year.
Emmitt Senentz joined the team as a freshman and has competed in Lacrosse as well as Cross Country. Emmitt’s never quit mentality is a true sign of the perseverance that Farragut instills in its athletes. Every year Emmitt has managed to cut seconds off of his time ultimately resulting in shaving a full minute in 2018. Emmitt was the proud recipient of the Coach’s Award last year and we look forward to another year of great performances.
Please join us in wishing all our rising seniors continued success. We look forward to seeing you on the course.
