50 Tickets to Brooklyn: Girls #36

THE SUMMER PREVIEW

Accomplishments & Accolades

• 1600m – 5:12
• 3200m – 11:06
• 5k (XC) – 18:28

• 21^st Place – D1 State
• Region 4 Champion
  • 2x Top-5
• KLAA Champion
  • 2x Top-3
• 2^nd Place – KLAA 3200m
• 2^nd Place – Region 3 3200m

Ratings Throughout the Years

Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
10	Lydia LaMarra	18:28.7	Brighton	145.1	Division 1 State	4-Nov	2023
10	Lydia LaMarra	18:37.9	Brighton	147.4	Region 4	28-Oct	2023
10	Lydia LaMarra	18:49.6	Brighton	150.5	KLAA Conference	20-Oct	2023
10	Lydia LaMarra	18:35.5	Brighton	146.2	Portage	7-Oct	2023
10	Lydia LaMarra	19:00.6	Brighton	135.8	Jackson	23-Sep	2023
10	Lydia LaMarra	19:13.5	Brighton	139.5	Spartan	15-Sep	2023
10	Lydia LaMarra	20:06.6	Brighton	131.5	Averill	9-Sep	2023
10	Lydia LaMarra	19:50.3	Brighton	134.2	Mustang	29-Aug	2023
10	Lydia LaMarra	19:15.8	Brighton	145.4	Lamplighter	18-Aug	2023
Grade	Name	Time	Team	Rating	Meet	Date	Year
9	Lydia LaMarra	19:15.4	Brighton	133.9	Division 1 State	5-Nov	2022
9	Lydia LaMarra	18:50.4	Brighton	140.2	Region 4	28-Oct	2022
9	Lydia LaMarra	19:15.9	Brighton	136.4	KLAA	22-Oct	2022
9	Lydia LaMarra	19:04.2	Brighton	134.9	Portage	8-Oct	2022
9	Lydia LaMarra	19:46.1	Brighton	131.0	Spartan	16-Sep	2022
9	Lydia LaMarra	20:52.6	Brighton	121.5	Averill	10-Sep	2022
9	Lydia LaMarra	20:40.6	Brighton	127.1	Mustang	30-Aug	2022
9	Lydia LaMarra	20:33.5	Brighton	120.2	Lamplighter	19-Aug	2022

The Rundown

I often call Shepherd the “cross country heartland” and the folks from Shepherd call the northern and western suburbs the “cross country mecca”. If you take a peek at every Division 1 Team Champion since 2000, depending on how you define geography, you’ll find that 50-70% of them are from the area.

What am I getting at? When you’re a sophomore like Lydia LaMarra, racing in your conference meet, facing off against the Northvilles, Plymouths, Salems, Hartlands of the world, you’re going against the vey best competition the state has to offer. Coming into the conference championship, Lydia had raced approximately 20 times, winning once, earlier in the year at Mustang. Although a top runner, not a favorite by any stretch.

In dramatic fashion, moving up in the latter stages of the race, then releasing a fiery clinching kick, Lydia won that conference race. It was a muddy day on a new course, don’t pay attention to the time. She won. A sophomore going against the giants. In the coming weeks came another win at Regionals, leading the Bulldogs to another regional victory. Then a 21^st place at State, applying that confidence to a new 18:28 PR.

Now a junior, she’s one of those giants she was looking to slay. But I bet her confidence will keep others at bay.