Girls cross country: Fremd finds answers in win against Hersey

Fremd's girls cross country team answered a few questions Tuesday at its opening dual meet against Hersey.

Fremd finished seventh in the MSL last year and did not qualify as a team to the sectional meet, but the Vikings are showing plenty of fight this season.

Senior Linda Varela set the tone in holding off Hersey senior Sarah Harden for the victory, crossing the finish line in 18:57.3 and pushing the Vikings to a 27-28 victory at Harper College in Palatine.

Fremd put together a solid pack in securing fifth through eight place.

"I knew who our No. 1 runner was," said Fremd coach Joe Marcin of Varela, who has established herself as the Vikings' leader. "But I couldn't really tell our 2-7 runners, and I think every day it could be someone different. It was a nice start."

Varela finished 27th in the MSL last season, but the senior had a strong track season capped by a state qualification in the 800.

Now that Varela looks like she is ready to continue her momentum, she battled Harden the entire race before making pushing through for a solid victory.

"I was really excited," said Varela. "I think the hard work in the off-season really paid off."

"She is someone that does thing right," said Marcin. "She shows up every day and does the little things. She's a great leader."

Junior Hannah Ban (20:33.1), junior Fiona Jordan (20:38.3), freshman Rebecca Markham (20:41.3) and junior Nupur Pokharkar (20:45.7) then captured 5-6-7-8 place to nail down the victory for the Vikings

Harden set the tone for Hersey and hung close to the lead the entire race. The Huskies senior was a state qualifier in the 1,600 for track and seems ready for a big year.

"I've been running all year long, and I feel I've improved a lot," said Harden. "This race definitely gives me some confidence, gives me an idea where I'm at time-wise."

Sophomore Teagan Beckley (19:49.6) also took a step forward in capturing third place, with senior Hailey Bowes (20:10.2) adding a third-place finish.

Bowes, who was the Huskies' top runner last year, has been dealing with some back issues but should be running with Harden as the season progresses.

Freshman Katie Fredian (20:56.6) added a ninth-place finish, with senior Lauren Grabos (21:01.8) completing the Huskies' scoring with a 10th-place finish.

"It was a close race, and I felt the girls ran awesome," said Hersey first year coach Danielle Freeman. "Sarah (Harden) picked it up today, she's just a kid that does everything right and she has done it for four years."