Premium Preps photo by Dave Surico

Northside freshman Taylor Provax strides to the after a strong debut win at the Mustang time trials.

 

Newcomer Provax makes

a strong first impression

Freshman does it all in first race for the Mustangs

By Phil English

Running in her first-ever high school competition Wednesday, Northside Prep freshman Taylor Provax made it look easy.

Provax turned in an impressive 13:56 with a seemingly effortlessly stride through eight laps in her high school debut at the Mustangs time trials Wednesday at North Park College. But it may have been her post-race performance that was the most impressive.

Just past the finish line, there was Provax, cheering on her teammates, exchanging high fives and handing water bottles out to the rest of the finishers.

“She’s definitely a surprise,” said Northside coach Jon Gordon. “For her to come in here and be a number one runner is fantastic.

“But it’s just as awesome to see those kinds of leadership skills, especially in such a young girl.”

Provax may be the key to a strong cross country season for the Mustangs, who look to improve on their 2009 fourth-place finish in the city championship, and build upon their string of three straight sectional appearances.

“I pretty much set a goal from the beginning that I was going to come in here and do my best. And that’s exactly what I did,” said Provax. “But everybody had a great run. It’s exciting to see everyone do that.”

Provax honed her leadership skills at Onahan Elementary School in Norwood Park last year, where her team captured a city title. Her solid pace, final time and leadership skills are only one reason for Northside to be excited about this year.

Another newcomer, junior Maggie Ivaanova, finished a strong race in 14:12, while classmate Su Yang kicked home in 14:31.

Senior captain Bessie Nolan was a close fourth in 14:37 followed by juniors Karlyn Gehring (14:45) and Dava Batjargal (14:51). Senior Yesenia Valadez (15:02) rounded out the top seven.

As with the varsity boys, the top seven finishers Wednesday earned team warm ups and duffel bags.

“It’s just as much a team sport as an individual one, and that’s what I love about it,” said Provax. “It’s about cheering everybody else. Everybody wants to do their best and if we all support each other than it can be done.”

It’s only one day into a long cross country season, but things are already looking optimistic for the girls.

“The girls last year made it to sectionals but didn’t finish as strong as the guys,” said Gordon. “This year’s group already works 100 times harder than last year. If they can keep that up we’re going to be fine.”