- April 19, 2024
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Two trophies in two weeks for the Father Lopez girls cross-country team has coach Suzanne O'Malley thinking of the old days, when the Green Wave were dominant. And she wants her team to return to greatness.
BY ANDREW O'BRIEN | SPORTS EDITOR
If the last two weeks are any indication, the Father Lopez cross-county team has its swagger back.
Two weeks ago, the girls team won its first trophy in more than a decade, finishing second at the Mount Dora Invitational.
Then on Sept. 21, the girls team finished third at the Embry-Riddle Asics Cross-Country Meet.
These are two small steps to the team’s ultimate goal of contending for a state championship. And for coach Suzanne O’Malley, it’s all about the process.
Long ago, back in the ’80s, the Father Lopez cross-country teams were dominant, being one — if not the only — high school in the state to win back-to-back-to-back state titles, O’Malley said. (The cross-country team won the state title in the fall of 1985, the track team won the state title in the spring of 1986, and then the cross-country team won again in the fall of 1986.
Today’s team has a long way to go if it wants to three-peat, but the process has already started: Currently, the boys team is ranked 10th in the state; the girls are ranked 11th.
That says a lot for a program that had just five athletes when O’Malley took over as full-time coach seven years ago. This year, there are 52 members of the team — an increase of 10 from last year.
O’Malley said Tuesday that she can’t quite explain the growth, but she’s not complaining.
“I think one of the reasons is I’ve accepted everybody,” she said, noting that she has never had tryouts or cut someone. “My No. 1 runner is just as important as my No. 25 runner because eventually, it’s the younger ones (who step up). I need to nurture (the younger runners) and make them into varsity runners.”
O’Malley said dedication, discipline and sportsmanship are three lessons she teaches — lessons that extend far beyond the hills and wet grass of the Saturday morning cross-country meets.
She also preaches good grades. In fact, the top four students in the Class of 2014 are on the Father Lopez cross-country team, including the anticipated valedictorian and salutatorian.
“I have always stressed that their academics come before their sport,” she said.
Father Lopez will compete in the FLRunners.com race this weekend. After that, O’Malley said she hopes her teams are holding up trophies.
“What I’m trying to do is bring back the tradition,” she said.
