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Blue Ace Beecham’s state finish puts runner in class by herselfby KURT SNYDER Sports ReporterAnnie Beecham completed a career Saturday matched by no other Granville cross country runner.Beecham finished 12th (19:27) in the Division II state meet at Scioto Downs to become the Blue Aces’ first three-time all-Ohio performer. Beecham had finished 17th and eighth the previous two years.“She’s been breaking new ground for us,” Granville coach Bob Hollen said.“It’s exciting to be here three years in a row,” Beecham added. “I’m really glad to be all-Ohio again.”Mantua Crestwood senior Bridget Franek set a blistering pace from the start, and the top 15 chased her. As Franek the race champion with a 17:34 and two others pulled away, Beecham settled into the back of the pack, making up the fourth through 12th spots.Beecham was 10th as she went in front of the stadium crowd late in the second mile but had dropped to 12th bythe time she returned to the stadium for the finish.“Everyone always goes out fast,” Beecham said. “But I think it, for some reason, just really affected me today. It was a lot harder than normal.”Between Beecham and Hollen. the runner and coach had years of state meet experience. Hollen said they went over strategy all week as they do every week.But with the best runners in the state all wanting to leave their mark, strategy sometimes goes out the window.“When the gun goes off, I don’t really want them thinking about the race,” Hollen said. “I want them reacting to the race. The more times you say things the less they have to think about it while the race is going on. It’s a reinforcement.The Blue Aces finished seventh as a team in the Division II regional meet at Troy on Oct. 29, falling short of a state berth. Hollen said that was Beecham’s one disappointment — not being able toGranville's Annie Beecham (331) at the half-mile marker in front of a pack of Division n Girls in Saturday's race at the state cross country meet. (Photo by Charlie Walters)share the excitement of state cross countiy with her teammates.“She was really disappointed last week when we didn’t make it as a team,” Hollen said. “The year before, it hit her pretty hard, and shewanted to have her teammates here. That was probably the biggest blow. She had to go back to the starting linethree straight years solo.Kurt Snyder can be reachedat (740) 328-8556 or ksny-der@newarkaduocate.comOff Aft*mm. 0MfrAA • YATC MlIffHi* 1*1
Newspaper Details
Granville Sentinel
Granville, Ohio, US
Thu, Nov 10, 2005
Page 9
Full Page
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NA, 16 Dec 2019
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