Top 10 Moments of 2017 - Numbers 8 & 7

Top Ten Moments 2017

Jul 11, 2017

No. 7 - Shoreham Saves The Best For Last

Patience. No team knew that word better than Shoreham-Wading River, and no athlete in particular, knew it like Katherine Lee. They were consistently ready to lay their claim as one of the best distance teams to ever come out of Long Island, and even New York State, but adversity reared it's head at every chance.

In Cross Country, they checked off every major box of a Top Ten National Team. They placed third at Manhattan, despite not being in the Eastern's Race. Katherine Lee came close to course records in Rhode Island, and placed Top 5 in the merge at Manhattan and States. They took 4th as a team at States, in the toughest State in the country. At Regionals, Katherine Lee upset the field, and blew out the field, becoming the 5th fastest ever at Bowdoin. Then the adversity hit. Shoreham took third, and was considered the heavy favorite for an At-Large bid. But the call never came. The team was ready. They had beaten the returning North Rockland, who had placed Top Ten last year. They had beat Saratoga, who has been a perennial Top Ten finisher. But still, Lee was on her own. Shoreham still had plenty to prove.

Indoors came next. Lee came off a strong finish at NXN, and went right to work on the track. She dropped a Top 15 performance in the 3000m in her first few weeks back, after punching her ticket to Millrose with a 4:53 mile. Then came the big day. Lee was favorited for Millrose, with a stronger kick than much of the field. Two laps in, and Lee was setting herself up. She swung to Lane 2, but caught the heel of Rachel MacArthur. Both collapsed to the ground, but Lee felt a snap. Determined to finish the race she had trained for, she limped her final laps. But it wouldn't change the grade 3 sprain in her left ankle with substantial bone bruising. It would require surgery to fix, the second in a year after a summer surgery to rectify an inguinal hernia. She was out for the season.

A season where the rest of her team kept improving. Alex Hays would end up 11th in the State for 1500m. Amanda Dwyer and Payton Capes-Davis were also within the Top 50. It made sense that the 4xMile was smart choice at Indoor Nationals. But they were short one leg. They pulled Maria Smith in for one race, fresh off a season of Basketball all Indoor long. The moved proved fruitful, as Shoreham went on to win the 4xMile National Title. The win was bittersweet, as they knew Katherine wasn't running, and their time would only improve. But Lee would be back ready for Outdoor.

Outdoor Season was here, and Lee was back. She would set a PR in the Mile at Loucks. But what was once a simple 4xMile prospect indoors, had proven to be strong motivation for her teammates. They quickly became the strongest distance program in the State. It culminated with a unparalleled State Qualifier performance. Shoreham would sweep the Top 3 spots in both the 1500m and 3000m events, while also winning the Steeple and taking bronze in the 800m.

But then, once again, adversity struck. In the 4x800m, after a long two days of racing, Katherine Lee dropped a 2:04 split to chase the final of two qualifying spots. Coming off the final turn even with Ward Melville, Lee started drifting right. They would finish in 9:01, just ahead of Ward Melville. However, an Official determined there was interference. Shoreham was DQ'ed, and knocked out of States. That means only the top two finishers would race at States, and three of Shoreham's strong five would compete at the meet. Once again, their team was denied the ability to demonstrate the strength in their unity.

That left Outdoor Nationals. One last chance to come together as a team in a National Championship setting. Denied twice before, they weren't about to let it happen again.

With Lee the only underclassmen of the "Power 5," it would be their last time running together as a team. As such, Lee bowed out of the individual events, and went all in one the relays. The weekend started with the 4x800m. It was only 12 hours before their better race, but Shoreham had something to prove after missing States. They got the baton around strong, handing off to their anchor, Lee, in second by 2 seconds. No problem, as Lee was ready to replicate her mark from the Qualifier. She dropped the Hammer, splitting an unprecedented 2:04.56, and leading her team to US #1 for the season. Shoreham had proved they were a distance force in New York State. But their legacy was to be cemented, twelve hours later.

Going from the last event on Saturday, to the first event on Sunday, the same legs toed the line for the 4xMile, only switching out Amanda Dwyer for Maria Smith. The race went off in the hot conditions. Alex Hays led off in 5:02, a little shy of her converted 1500m pr of 4:54. It was still on pace for a National Record. Payton Capes bettered her converted seed by 2-seconds to hit 5:02 as well. Maria Smith was two seconds off her converted seed at 5:06. Lee got the baton twelve hours after her 2:04, and the race was on. They were comfortable in the lead, but Lee was ready to run. Clicking away laps, Lee accelerated in the hot conditions. She pushed all the way through the line, splitting 4:48.64. They were shy of the National Record, and sub-20mins, but only just. They had clocked the 4th fastest time in history, and were dual National Champs. Payton Capes-Davis would return to the track five hours later, for a third time, and take silver in the Steeple Chase, only solidifying her legacy even further. But it was those relays that proved key, putting the 2017 Shoreham Team in the pantheon of great distance programs in State History.

A title well earned, after all the adversity persevered before it.