Gammon-Deering seeks medal in 2010
AREA ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
It's barely been a week and Manon Gammon-Deering is already thinking about next year.
The Little Falls Flyers junior placed 13th in the Class 2A state cross country meet to earn all-state honors Nov. 7 at St. Olaf College in Northfield.
That was so last week, though.
Gammon-Deering has her sights set on next year's state meet, which she hopes ends with her being a little weighed down after the race.
"The top 10 runners get medals so that would be a goal for me next year," said Gammon-Deering. "Last year I ran throughout the summer, but I think I can always put in more miles."
Manon Gammon-Deering
Gammon-Deering ran a 15:14.0 to improve 34 places from her sophomore campaign at state.
"She ran a great state meet," said Flyers coach Jacki Devine. "She's been so consistent all year and just topped it off with a great run at state.
"We knew she had to go out faster than she did last year. We talked about going out a little bit harder in the beginning and then during the second mile just hang on. She executed the game plan right to the 'T' and was able to hold on at the end. She was in the top 10 for the first two miles while people were moving up and moving back around her."
As a sophomore Gammon-Deering placed 47th with a 15:26.9. Her goal this year was all-state honors, which are giving to the top 25 finishers.
"I felt pretty good and relaxed," said Gammon-Deering. "I was in good position after the first mile. I was getting a little bit tired after the mile and a half mark. I was relaxed and just kept going."
Manon Gammon-Deering
Year: Junior
School: Little Falls
Sport: Cross country:
Key stat: Earned all-state honors by finishing 13th in the Class 2A state meet
She added that running the course last year, and being accustomed to the crowd and the pace, gave her confidence and kept her from getting intimidated. Still, she wasn't sure what she would accomplish.
Devine was expecting a top 25 finish, but was surprised with the 13th place.
"She has written on her evaluations all year about becoming more confident," said Devine. "That was one of her goals. She wanted to become an up-front runner race after race. She's been practicing that all year. She showed at the state meet that she's accomplished her goal."
At the Section 8-2A meet, Gammon-Deering placed sixth at 15:13.3. It was a minor comeback after battling walking pneumonia during the Central Lakes Conference meet the week before.
"Luckily, I was blessed with being healthy and injury free," said Gammon-Deering, who now prepares for the Nordic skiing and track and field seasons. As a sophomore she helped the Flyers Nordic ski team to the state tournament.
Other notable performances:
Volleyball: Kelsey Meyer, Pierz, finished with 46 set assists, 12 digs, three blocks and one kill against Melrose.
Lindsay Monson, Pierz, had 19 kills, 3 blocks, 2 ace serves and 1 dig against Melrose.
Courtney Volkmann, Wadena-Deer Creek, finished with 71 set assists, 15 kills, 23 digs, five ace serves and nine blocks in two wins last week.
Kelsi Crawford, Wadena-Deer Creek, had 23 kills, nine digs, two blocks and one ace serve against Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton.
JEREMY MILLSOP may be reached at jeremy.millsop@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5856.