Gary Andrean players Ana Nicksic (14) react to a point during the IHSAA Class 3A volleyball semi-state at Plymouth High School, Plymouth, Ind. Saturday Oct. 29, 2011.| Joe Raymond ~For Sun-Times Media
He may not have reached his goal at Saturday’s cross country state finals in Terre Haute — a top-25 finish — but Highland’s Jake Baranowski had no regrets after finishing 38th with a time of 16:15.
“I just ran hard and went after it,” he said. “I don’t know how to run much difference. It was my last race (in high school) and I came into it a little more relaxed than last year.
“I didn’t want to ask myself afterward, ‘What if?’ In every postseason race you might be going hard, but subconsciously you’re holding back.”
And Baranowski wasn’t going to hold back in his last race in Highland blue and gold. His time was 13 seconds better than last year and his place was 16 spots better.
So will there be more races for Baranowski? Yes, it’s just a matter of where. He said it could be IUPUI, but Purdue is still a possibility.
More high expectations: Elena Lancioni may only be a sophomore, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t have some lofty goals headed into Saturday’s state finals.
Last year in her first high school season, she finished 28th with a time of 19:12. Very good for a newbie. So the goal had to be to improve, right? If it was, then it was mission accomplished as Lancioni was 21st with a time of 18:55, both improvements.
But Lancioni was the same as she’s been after a couple previous postseason meets this season — hard on herself with a little analysis.
“I was hoping to do better than that,” she said. “I did better than last year time-wise, but my goal was higher. You got to think it through sometimes, and I’m going to think this race through. I’ll be back.”
Mustangs hope to reload: Munster volleyball coach Tracy Afman would probably be fine with outsiders doubting her program’s potential next season.
It was a motivating factor for the team’s success this season, as the Mustangs finished 31-6 and won the program’s fourth-straight sectional championship and first regional title since 1996.
“We had lost a lot of great talent from last year and the girls were determined to show everybody that we were better than what people thought we would be and we could do it,” Afman said.
Munster will return several key players from this year’s team — including junior libero Mariana Rogers, sophomore outside hitter Shannon Farrell, junior outside hitter Mady Moyer and sophomore middle blocker Elizabeth Kloos.
“We have some good (underclassmen) that contributed this year and some other good ones coming up next year,” Afman said.
Andrean losing 10 seniors: Saturday’s loss in the Plymouth 3A Volleyball Semistate may have ended the high school careers of 10 Andrean seniors, but it’s a journey they’re not soon to forget.
In four years the girls went through three coaches, earned a first semistate appearance since 1998, and now have raised the standard for the program.
“I’m just happy it was with them, they’re the best,” senior Ana Nicksic said of her classmates.
First-year coach Julie Wiejak acknowledges that she took over a talented group that finished 31-6.
“The 10 girls, the seniors, represented themselves so well,” she said of the NCC champs. “I think they needed someone to pull (the big season) out of them.”
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