GL_031617

40 | March 16, 2017 | The glenview lantern sports
glenviewlantern.com
Girls Track and Field
New coach hopes fresh start brings strong season
Sarah Haider
Assistant Editor
Glenbrook South started
its new season with a new
coach.
Meaghan Fastert has
used her transition from
assistant to head coach as
a fresh start for the team,
a concept that anchors her
coaching philosophy.
“Start fresh every year
and see what you can do,”
Fastert said. “Grow from
those times and those distances
versus constantly
thinking about what you did
or if you are doing better this
year. It’s always important
to start fresh and start with
a clear head. I feel like you
see more success [this way].
It’s kind of like a different
journey every season.”
So far, her philosophy
seems to be working. The
95-girl team enjoyed a
strong start last month,
culminating in a first-place
finish at the John Davis Relays
on Feb. 24, and many
of the girls have already
broken their individual personal
records.
The team features an
abundance of freshmen
and sophomore runners,
as well as a number of returning
veterans. Although
standout Rose O’Grady
graduated in May, seniors
Emily Noone, who earned
All-State status in the
800-meter run; Kate Snively;
and Megan Kennedy are
among the seniors who will
step into the team’s leadership
roles.
Fastert expects her leaders
to enforce high expectations
and strict rules of
attendance and accountability.
These rules are designed
to improve performances
and build character.
But Fastert also hopes they
foster a tight-knit and united
team.
“Track is such an individualized
sport, or at
least it can be,” she said.
“Everyone has their different
event and they tend
to only hang out with that
group, so I’m really trying
to push [the theme] of being
together and getting to
know someone outside of
your own event and delve
into what team means.”
Also serving as the GBS
girls cross-country coach,
Fastert focuses on developing
strong support systems
to address the mental
aspects of running. The
team builds these systems
with pasta parties that feed
the large team in preparation
for the upcoming GBS
Quad meets. Fastert sees
the meets as trials for the
conference meet, which
takes place on Thursday,
March 16.
Kennedy, who is currently
focusing on her daily
progression after recovering
from a concussion,
took part in her first meet
of the season, the Glenbrook
North Quad, on Feb.
28. She competes in the
800-meter run, pole vault
and several long-distance
events.
“One of the biggest
things for a successful season
is injury prevention,”
Kennedy said. “We [need
to] keep our injuries down
and make sure everyone is
stretching and not pulling
anything. We have had lots
of stress fractures in the
past. If we can keep injury
prevention down, we can
run better and compete better
as a team.”
As a cross-country runner,
Kennedy understands
the benefits of applying
Fastert’s coaching techniques
to the track team.
“It is an adjustment, but
a great adjustment,” Kennedy
said. “I feel like she
brings a new perspective
on running with her being
a younger coach. The way
she runs things is a little
different. ... She has different
workout plans for us
and I personally think it is
really nice.”
Many of the distance
runners, like Kennedy, are
cross-over athletes from
the cross-country team.
Although Fastert is proud
of the team’s early success,
she hasn’t lost sight of her
No. 1 priority.
“It’s important to not just
focus on winning, but feeling
like you accomplished
something,” Fastert said.
“Even if [we finish] first
or last, it’s more about the
girls and where they are
coming from and how they
feel after the season. I think
one of my goals is [making
sure they] still love running
[and they] still love
what they are doing. If they
can say yes, then that’s the
greatest accomplishment
for me.”
Girls Soccer
Titans aim to improve upon dominant 2016 campaign
Chris Pullam, Editor
Glenbrook South took
the North Shore, and head
coach Seong Ha, by surprise
in 2016.
The senior-heavy squad
scored 92 goals and surrendered
only 13 en route
to a 20-3-2 finish, losing
to the eventual state champion,
New Trier, 1-0 in the
sectional semifinal.
“[That] one game doesn’t
explain everything we went
through last year,” Seong
said. “We didn’t expect a
20-win season. It came out
of nowhere. For me as a
coach, it just gives me more
perspective on what we did
and how amazing that was,
to compete with the state
champion like we did, and
to win the regional against a
team like Maine South.”
Led by Olivia Peters,
now a freshman at Walsh
University, as well as thenseniors
Anne Brennan and
Cameron Beach, the Titans
forced the Trevians into
double overtime before
giving up the match’s lone
goal. But in 2017, with a
relatively young and inexperienced
roster, South
won’t dwell on past accolades.
“I don’t think they even
talk about it anymore,”
Seong said. “We don’t
even use it as a motivational
tool because they
don’t need to do what they
did last year. They need to
do whatever makes this
year special. They need to
put their fingerprints and
stamp on this year with
their leadership.
“We won’t have a spectacular
season right off the
bat. We are young and we
will make a lot of mistakes
early, but we will overcome
those obstacles, do
things the right way and
have fun. We’ll see where
that takes us.”
In 2017, the Titans will
return senior Lily Sands,
a four-year starter and
South’s eighth all-time
scoring leader; Cassidy
Price, an All-Conference
defender; Callie Pekosh, an
All-Conference midfielder;
and goalkeeper Maude Tarbox.
Eight sophomores,
seven juniors and five seniors
round out the roster.
“They know how to get
things done, and that makes
things a lot easier for me,”
Seong said. “My returning
starters are really good, but
there will be a lot of opportunities
for the younger
girls to prove themselves.
That’s exciting for me to
see. And our veterans who
do come back, they’re
waiting to go out and prove
they can win their own
way.”
According to Tarbox,
the roster turnover will
especially affect South’s
back line, which will return
only one player.
“That’s pretty scary as
a goalkeeper,” she said.
“But I’m looking forward
to watching their growth
from March until May and
seeing how good they will
become. As a team, everyone
is good in their own
way. Coach Ha will mix
us together and find a good
formula.”
Sands believes the Titans
will benefit from their
“lack of history” because
“other teams won’t know
what we’re all about.”
The pair remained active
during the winter
months — Tarbox played
basketball while Sands
participated in offseason
workouts — and both have
high expectations for their
senior season.
“We will play some big
teams, like New Trier and
Evanston and Loyola,”
Tarbox said. “If we train
well, prepare well and focus,
we have a good chance
of holding our own. We fell
short a couple times last
year, but I’m looking forward
to challenging them
again and hopefully winning
this year.”
“Winning the regional
would be great,” Sands
added. “We just want to go
farther than last year.”
“I give a lot of credit to
the girls on preparing and
training over the summer,”
Seong said. “I take no credit
in the amazing things we
have done in the last decade,
putting GBS on the map in
the girls soccer scene. ...
As long as these girls keep
doing what they’re doing,
we’ll continue to add to it.
You can really see the passion
for the game, the excitement,
in these girls.”