Scouting Reports Westbrook girls

<p> As part of our xc coverage we are taking an in-depth look at some of the top teams around the state by doing a team scouting report.</p>

Westbrook was once a powerhouse program in the late 80's and early 90's when the Blue Blazes won 10 states titles from 1983-1996. The program hasn't been able to get back to that level, in fact the last time they made the state meet was 1998. Westbrook finished 12th in the Western Maine Regional a season ago, this was a vast improvement over the previous 5 seasons where they didn't even enough runners to compete as a team at the regional meet.

Coach Even has the team moving in the right direction. "Its tough to say for sure but I would say we have probably 9-10 kids competing for 7 spots. I would say that Halee Phelps, who was our #1 last year, and Gabbi Pabst, and Bryanna Phillips who are two key additions, will lead our team this season. Halee had a great year for us last year setting PR’s in pretty much every event that she ran between the 3 seasons. Her confidence has grown ten fold, which I’m hoping translates to a big fall for her. Other top 7 returners include Sophomore’s Kiersten Hilton and Linnaea Miller who both put in solid summers of training."

This year qualifying for states is on the radar.  "It has been 16 years since Westbrook made the state meet and 18 years since our last championship. Most of the team wasn’t even alive which is funny to think about (I was in 3rd grade). That means that we have been in the bottom half of Class A West for a long long time. The goal this year is to make it back to States and be competitive. We have the talent to do it, but we just need to stay healthy and train smart. This is a confident group…I think they have what it takes to be one of the better teams in Class A West this fall. As for meets we are keying for, I would love for us to run well at Belfast on Oct 4th. It is Westbrook’s first trip up there which is great for the program. The big goal is to be ready for Regionals. It may take us all season to be ready, but we will get there…one day at a time." Coach Even said about the prospects of the 2014 season.

Summer training was a focus, The girls did a great job this summer getting done what they needed to. They all work hard and support each other, which is great. This is a very goal oriented group of kids who all want to get better and do what they can for the team. If I had to put all of that into a word to describe their “team strength” I would use “hungry”. They want to be good which is great to see. Over the summer the kids put in the miles, core, lifting, and tempo runs that they needed to. It was different for everyone depending on skill level, experience, and age. Some of them ran a road race here and there. Now we are starting to get into a more consistent workout schedule with plenty of hills and other fun things." Even said.

The Blue Blazes have several new additions to the roster who will make a huge impact and help propel Westbrook back into the top half of Class A.  "I mentioned Gabbi Pabst earlier who is probably our biggest new pick up. She was a kid who ran 17:00ish minutes for a 2mile her freshman year, and then came close to breaking 12:00 last winter in her sophomore year. She works very hard and is coming over from jv soccer. Freshman Emma Sperry is very talented and a hard worker as well. She had a good spring track season, which was her first. She is an outstanding swimmer as well. She may break into our top 5. Sophomores’ Samantha Thompson, Sophia Williams and Rachael Dyer could contribute. Sammy T was solid for us a freshman in indoor/outdoor (6:00/240 runner),Williams may be the best overall athlete on our team (toss up between her and Kiersten Hilton), and Dyer was a 1:03 400 runner last spring. She has a lot of middle distance potential and loves to work hard. Aviana Bouphavanh is a freshman talent who is new to running but shows a lot of potential, she's a strong kid who works.

While Westbrook might not be on the radar coming into the season, their opening season win at the Lake Region Invitational is an indication they will be a team to watch throughout the season, there is no question this program is headed in the right direction, and the improvement curve could be accelerated this fall.

 

Coach Even Says...

We look much stronger this year than last year. Everyone is a year older and we return virtually everyone while adding some key talent. We have much more depth than we have in previous years. Our team was mostly freshman last year so we had to do a lot of learning on the fly, but most of them stuck through XC, indoor, and outdoor so they had a full year with me and now know what to expect, which will make a big difference this fall.

 

2014 Returner's Top Times 

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