Cross Country

Sveinsson Concludes 2009 Season With Runner Up at Nationals

 SAN DIEGO – The race went according to planned, all except for the last few steps. Competing in the 31^st annual Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships, Greenhill junior Chelsey Sveinsson executed her race plan by running with the lead pack and then trying to pull away for the victory with 1,000 meters to go in the race. The only problem was that she was unable to shake the pre-race favorite, Michigan’s Megan Goethals. As both runners neared the finish line, Goethals surged ahead for the win, leaving Sveinsson with another year to claim the national title.

This was Sveinsson’s third time competing in the Foot Locker meet, so the course and competitive atmosphere was nothing new. However, after a week of rain in the San Diego area, the Balboa Park course was atypically soggy in areas. That did little to phase the top forty girls in the nation when their race set off at 9:15 a.m. Sveinsson laid low as others set the pace through a modest 5:25 first mile and a 5:48 second mile. That’s when the race really started to heat up. Sveinsson and Goethals pulled away from two other top contenders as they crested a steep hill. Having competed against each other in this very same race in 2008, when Goethal bested Sveinsson by one second, the two runners once again found themselves racing together towards the finish line. Sveinsson pulled away on the downhill and established a small gap by the time she hit the three mile mark. But with another 200 more meters of real estate, Goethals closed the gap to finish a mere .2 seconds ahead of Greenhill’s star runner.

True to form, Sveinsson was gracious in defeat and complimented the victorious Goethals in a post-race interview. Additionally, she commented how, “I’ll use that moment (getting beat at the tape) to carry me through training for indoor and outdoor track.  Hopefully I’ll see her again and we’ll see who’s the best on that day.” As the defending national champion in the mile and two mile run, you can bet that Sveinsson will be back with vengeance!

To put Sveinsson’s runner up finish in some perspective, it is important to recognize the good that came out of this championship race. First of all, in her three years at the Foot Locker meet, Chelsey has steadily improved her finishing time and overall place (2007 – 17:58 and 15^th place, 2008 – 17:31 and 4^th place, 2009 – 17:07 and 2^nd place, 2010…?) Secondly, Sveinsson’s final time made her the 12^th fastest girl in the race’s history. Her top finish also earned her a spot on the all-American team for the second year in a row. Thirdly, given some significant struggles with injuries, the fact that Sveinsson almost won the race was remarkable. Finally, Sveinsson’s efforts continue to demonstrate how talented, gifted, and special Greenhill students are both inside and outside of the classroom.