Aly Welch of Rochester Century class of 2018
Personal Records:
1600m - 5:14.29
3200m - 11:12.33
4K (xc) - 14:58.60
5K (xc) - 18:32.90
State XC 2017 - 12th
State XC 2016 - 19th
State XC 2015 - 30th
State XC 2014 - 44th
What city were you born in, and what sports did you grow up playing?
I was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and I grew up alpine ski racing, nordic skiing, playing soccer, going to kids track meets, dancing, and even played a season of softball.
What sports do you play in high school?
I run XC in the fall, nordic ski in the winter, and run distance track in the spring. I have lettered in both XC and Track four times and in nordic skiing twice. That is 10 letters so far.
What happened at the Section 1AA Cross Country Meet this year?
The section meet had some tremendous runners this year. Five out of the top six runners have made it to State in the past. Anna Fenske and Lauren Peterson of Farmington, and Brianne Brewster of Lakeville South took off with a definitive lead and gradually pulled away from each other throughout the entire race to the finish. After those three there was a group of about 15 runners who stayed together as a pack through the first mile before starting to thin out.
After that point, me and my teammate Helen and Courtney West of Kasson-Mantorville had a small group that stayed together until about 2 miles. After that I tried to catch up with Brianne Brewster, but wasn't able to, so I finished 4th.
Where and how did Helen Li get involved in Century Panthers Cross Country?
Helen is involved in many activities (stem society, model united nations, volunteering, mathletes, ping pong...) and as a first year xc runner last year, struggled to make xc practice a priority in her busy schedule. As a result she was running JV for much of the season. However, she was able to dedicate more of her time this year and having consistent training and racing varsity has made all the difference in her running. Having a teammate to push me has not only made me a better runner, but has also made practice and racing more fun!
You won the Big Nine Conference Race this year and your team won over Red Wing and Mankato West. Can you describe that race?
Big 9 was an awesome race for our team. This is the best Century team we have had in years, and bringing home the conference trophy was very rewarding. Plus one of my teammates, Martha Burket, had a huge breakthrough race, breaking her lifetime PR. I am very grateful to my teammates for their support, inspired by their positive attitudes, and proud of all the hard work they put in this season.