The Lady Bruins place fourth at State in 2014, but they will have to count on some returning runners along with some new faces if they want to continue Rock Bridge's tradition of XC excellence in 2015.
Top Returning 3200m Times from 2015 Outdoor Season
| 1) Rebecca Rubenstein | 11:28.28 | |||
| 2) Emily Harl | 11:56.20 | |||
| 3) Rubinstein Rebecca | 12:03.30 | |||
| 4) Aliyah Blackburn | 12:10.18 | |||
| 5) Marilise Stamps | 12:10.19 | |||
| Average Time: 11:57.63 Total Time: 59:48.15 1-5 Split: 41.91 | ||||
| 6) Jadie Arnett | 14:00.53 | |||
| 7) Jessica Clark | 14:25.16 | |||
Top Returning 1600m Times from 2015 Outdoor Season
| 1) Emily Harl | 5:28.65 | |||
| 2) Rebecca Rubenstein | 5:29.15 | |||
| 3) Marilise Stamps | 5:29.65 | |||
| 4) Faramola Shonekan | 5:42.94 | |||
| 5) Aliyah Blackburn | 5:52.14 | |||
| Average Time: 5:36.51 Total Time: 28:02.53 1-5 Split: 23.49 | ||||
| 6) Jadie Arnett | 6:25.82 | |||
| 7) Kelly McDonald | 6:28.66 | |||
Q&A With Coach Blackburn
Give a brief recap of last season.
Our girls trophied for the second time in four years last year and we were very proud of that. With the way our season played out, we were excited to close with a fourth place finish at State. We had glimpses of brilliance and times of struggle with which we all learned and hope to continue to apply to our daily training and forthcoming races.
How has training been going for your team? What is your current focus for training?
For both of our teams, our focus is to transition from primarily base mileage and work into our second phase of training which consists of continued aerobic development, mixed energy system workouts every micro-phase, and a focus on developing volume tempo work.
Who have you been most impressed or surprised with their improvement and/or fitness from their summer training?
We had a lot of new girls come out for the team this year and several that will play key roles that did a nice job of committing to their teammates this summer.
Who are your team captains or leaders and what stands out about them as examples for the rest of their teammates?
Our girls essentially lead by committee, somewhat similarly as our boys. They bring different strengths and when meshed together enable the girls to be productive. Marilise Stamps, Emily Harl, and Cara Wilfong provide some of the comic relief necessary on runs. Rebecca Rubinstein and Aliyah Blackburn are good motherly types for our new girls helping them acclimate to the system. Faramola Shonekan is great at helping our girls get focused on our harder workout days with her display of intensity. We also have a great group of leaders in and among our other training groups that bring the other girls along well.
What will be the biggest obstacle or challenge facing your team this season?
I think our greatest obstacle will be our patience with our growth as
the season presses onward. We always expect to be good from the start,
but with some core runners that are freshman, we will need to demonstrate an
understanding that we want to be better late than early on.
good motherly types for our new girls helping them
acclimate to the system.
What will be the biggest reason why your team is successful this season?
I think the dedication and commitment to one another will determine how successful we are this season.
What are some staple workouts your team does during the season?
Tempo mile repeats with little rest, Long Steady-state runs, and Controlled fartleks are some of our multiple phase workouts.
What are your top 3 goals for this year's squad?
1. Enjoy the journey.
2. Stay in the moment
3. Fulfill our potential.
Any impact freshmen or transfers to join the team this season?
Beni Adelstein, Ji-Sung Lee, Cara Wilfong, Caroline Stevens, and Cait
Reed are all new athletes in our program that will contribute well.
Final Thoughts/Comments?
I believe both of our teams can continue to be successful as we have attempted to define it at Rock Bridge.
Kern's Notes
Rock Bridge Girls have enjoyed a lot of success at the State XC Meet in the last four years and placed 4th at State in 2014. The Bruins lose All-State runner Funkenbusch, Kayla and two other top seven runners from last year's team. Rock bridge will have to count on Junior Rebecca Rubenstein, and Seniors Marilise Stamps and Emily Harl to lead the Lady Bruins in 2015. Rock Bridge is currently ranked 11th in the Pre-Season Rankings for 2015 http://mo.milesplit.com/articles/160165-top-25-ret..., but look for some returning runners and some newcomers to step in and possibly help Rock Bridge to place in the top 8 in 2015.