NATIONALS...BON JOVI!

It’s crazy to think that we’re already a month into summer vacation, but summer wouldn’t be summer if it didn’t go by fast. Even though school is over, UC is still buzzing. The track team is always the last team to finish their season. We recently went to Greensboro, North Carolina for Nike Outdoor Nationals. Our goal throughout the whole spring track season was to qualify for this meet, and sure enough there we were. The atmosphere there was awesome! There were college scouts everywhere and the crowd was electrifying! We were all so excited to race.

Our 4x800 meter relay team was the first to race. We were the first race of the day on Friday, and we were ready to go. We ran in what was called the Emerging Elite Division which allowed teams who didn’t make the fastest qualifier to still run at Nationals, and it was still National Championship race. Our leadoff leg was Ryan and he did a great job. He handed off in first place to our second leg Alex who also ran a great race. The pace was getting faster and Alex fell back to third place, but we were still within striking distance. Alex handed off in third to Danny who ran to the front pack right away. He opened up a lead and handed off to me in first place. The race was getting more and more exciting and as we came up to the final lap of the race there were about 5 teams in striking distance. As we came down the final straightaway it was between 3 teams, and UC was right in the mix. I was giving it everything I had, and I started to pull away from the other two teams and crossed the finish line in first place! We couldn’t believe it, we were National Champions!

The next day our sprinters ran in the 800 meter sprint medley. It was by far one of the most exciting races of the meet. We were in third going into the final lap and our anchor Garrett was in striking distance. Coming down the final straight he passed one team into second and then blew by the next team into first. He crossed the finish line and threw his arms in the air. Union Catholic just won two National Championships! It was a great way for our seniors to end their high school career, and for the younger guys like me it was a great experience that we’ll use throughout the rest of our high school career. That night we went out to dinner and just had a great time. The pressure of running was off and we were all able to let loose and have a great time.

However, my summer has not been just about running. It’s been great hanging out with all my friends and not having to worry about school! Recently one of my buddies Kevin (who is a fellow blogger) invited me to go to the Jon Bon Jovi concert in Central Park. It was my first concert, but it was a great one! We got there really early and we had a great spot about 50 yards away from the stage. My whole family was jealous that I was going to the concert, because we all love Bon Jovi. The concert was amazing, and I’ll never forget it. My summer is going great and it’s only going to get better. I’ll try and post as often as I can, but if I don’t talk to you before school starts again, have a great summer!

BTW... you can visit Coach McCabe's website for pictures and track stats...www.uctrack.com