For the third straight year the Cross Country team has qualified for the IHSA Sectionals. This year’s team was led by senior captains Sam Zabielski and Peter Sakkos.
“One week ago, Peter Sakkos was watching his teammates run in the ESCC Championships from the sidelines on crutches, barely able to walk,” said Head Coach Chris Zuniga, “Four years of blood, sweat and thousands of training miles would not keep the senior captain off the field at this year’s Regional.”
“If there was one word to describe this bunch, resilient would be it,” added Zuniga. The 2017 team banded together on Saturday to run an impressive final mile and qualify for Saturday’s Sectionals hosted by Chicago (University) at Washington Park. In addition to Sakkos and Zabielski, fellow senior runner Conor Murphy qualified alongside sophomore Brandon Banda.
The Shamrocks top performance of the day went to freshman standout Sergio Mendieta. In a field dominated by juniors and seniors, Mendieta went out with the leaders and held on to finish thirteenth overall. Mendieta ran a personal best time ranking him among the leaders to watch as athletes compete to earn a bid in the Finals.
