As a meet that involves only a few girls Catholic school programs each year, the Academy Meet in Louisville is perhaps the best little meet in Kentucky. Competition began in 1982 and has been dominated over the years by girls Cross Country powerhouse Sacred Heart, who've won 17 of the 23 team titles and had 13 of the 23 individual race champions.
In recent years, the race has seen a series of sub-18 minute winning times from Footlocker finalists Maddie Schueler (twice) and Carmen Mims, and has involved competition amongst several top ranked girls teams. Although the race distance has varied with the KHSAA-mandated changes in girls Cross Country, however, one constant has pervaded this race - the Academy Meet has always been run in Louisville's Seneca Park. In a year when meets have been moving away from Seneca Park, the Academy Meet once again reappeared in 2005.
The 2005 Academy Meet featured competition from Sacred Heart, Assumption, Presentation, Mercy and Notre Dame, and would begin with the girls JV race, followed by the girls Varsity race.
The Junior Varsity race began with runners from Assumption, Sacred Heart and Mercy. Leading into the first mile were a pack of four Sacred Heart girls (Maddie Wright, Courtney Hibbs, Riley Schilling and AnnMarie Graham) and two Assumption girls (Christina Karem and Debbie Ryan). Several Assumption runners and a Sacred Heart runner followed not far behind. As the runners passed into the second mile of the race, Wright managed to break away with a series of surges that pushed her into the lead. Karem also separated from her former pack of six in an attempt to hang with Wright. The race for the top places at this point involved Wright, then Karem and then the pack of Hibbs, Ryan, Schilling and Graham. As they passed into the final mile, Karem began closing on Wright, and Graham began falling off the pace of her pack. As the race moved into the final turn for home, Karem caught Wright and pulled slightly ahead with a surge of her own. Not far behind those two, Ryan, Hibbs and Schilling remained in a group. Graham had dropped back, but was solidly in sixth as six Assumption runners followed in a pack of their own.
Through the last 400 meters, Karem had taken control of the race and went on to win in a very impressive 20:50. Wright held on for second with an equally fine time of 21:05, and Hibbs outkicked Ryan and Schilling to get third in 21:17. Overall, the team finish came down to the quality performances of Sacred Heart's top four girls versus the depth of Assumption (who had 12 girls under 23 minutes). In the end, it was the strength of Sacred Heart that prevailed, as they won the JV team title by one point over Assumption, 28 to 29.
The start of the Varsity race included three of the top 3A girls teams in the State, Assumption, Notre Dame and 3-time defending State Champ Sacred Heart. A competitive Mercy team and a rebuilding Presentation team were also there. The race began with Sacred Heart's Leah Ryan and Katherine Peterson darting into the lead. The pair were followed by Ashley Potts of Sacred Heart, Notre Dame's Tricia Pangallo and Assumption's Ellen Daly. As the runners passed through the first mile, it was Peterson and Ryan, and then Daly. Not far behind, a pack of four Assumption girls (Kathryn Long, Laura Armstrong, Hillary Raidt and Adrienne Curtis) had moved up just ahead of Potts and Pangallo.
Coming into and then out of the hills, Ryan and Peterson continued to look strong, and Daly had moved securely into third. Long was also starting to separate herself from her former group, and was followed by Curtis, then Armstrong and Raidt and then Pangallo. Moving firmly into ninth at this point was Sacred Heart's Olivia Higdon, followed by Potts. Assumption's Brittany Lay and Whitney Shipman, and Notre Dame's Elaina Stockle were closing fast on the top ten, as was Mercy's Emily Kent.
Running hard into the final mile, the seniors Peterson and Ryan continued to hold a solid lead on the field and looked as strong as ever. As they moved around the final turn for home and headed into the last 400 meters of the race, it was Peterson who moved ahead and went on to win in a great time of 18:46 – the tenth fastest performance in meet history. Ryan wasn't far behind, finishing second in 18:57. Daly held strong for third with a time of 19:14, and was followed with a strong finish by Long, who ran a very solid 19:21. Over the final mile, Pangallo had pulled into fourth place, but was now being challenged over the last 100 meters by Armstrong. At the line, it was Armstrong who outstretched Pangallo with both girls running just over 19:34. Mounting a strong charge of her own, Raidt kicked hard, finished seventh, and also went under 20 minutes. Higdon had a big finish of her own, passing Curtis to finish eighth. Stockle held close behind Curtis, but couldn't overtake Curtis for ninth and got the tenth spot.
The team results in the Varsity race were fairly similar to those of the JV race. It was the quality of Sacred Heart's top girls versus the depth of Assumption's pack. This occasion, however, the pack won out with Assumption earning their first team title since 1988. The final score had Assumption with 28 and Sacred Heart with 38, and a solid third place team finish for Notre Dame (67 points). Although weakened with injuries this season, Mercy did put four girls in the top 25 to come away with their fourth place team finish.
As exciting as the racing itself tends to be each year, the best moments at the Academy Meet come at the conclusion. As in past years, the 2005 meet wrapped up with a special presentation for the seniors of each team, many of whom ran in their final high school cross country race. This tradition, started in the 2001 Academy Meet, is a unique and very special feature of the meet. After the individual and team awards were presented, the seniors from each team were called forward and presented with a red rose. Every year, the rose is given to commemorate each girl's final season and is also given in thanks for the dedication and hard work that each senior girl has demonstrated over the course of her high school career.
For those interested in a history of this meet that includes the times and team finishes since the meet's inception in 1982, go to www.ahsdistance.org/academymeet.
As a meet that involves only a few girls Catholic school programs each year, the Academy Meet in Louisville is perhaps the best little meet in Kentucky. Competition began in 1982 and has been dominated over the years by girls Cross Country powerhouse Sacred Heart, who've won 17 of the 23 team titles and had 13 of the 23 individual race champions.
In recent years, the race has seen a series of sub-18 minute winning times from Footlocker finalists Maddie Schueler (twice) and Carmen Mims, and has involved competition amongst several top ranked girls teams. Although the race distance has varied with the KHSAA-mandated changes in girls Cross Country, however, one constant has pervaded this race - the Academy Meet has always been run in Louisville's Seneca Park. In a year when meets have been moving away from Seneca Park, the Academy Meet once again reappeared in 2005.
The 2005 Academy Meet featured competition from Sacred Heart, Assumption, Presentation, Mercy and Notre Dame, and would begin with the girls JV race, followed by the girls Varsity race.