Liz Mosbach Repeats as BCR Runner of the Year!!!!
by Chris Yucus- BCR
November 24, 2009
Mos)bach-to-back
By Chris Yucus - cyucus@bcrnews.com
SPRING VALLEY— When she first started running cross country last
year as a freshman, Hall’s Elizabeth Mosbach said she was not all
that enthused.
Soon though, Mosbach discovered she had a knack for the sport and
went on to finish a fabulous freshman campaign that saw her earn
last year’s BCR Runner of the Year honors.
Fast forward to this summer, when Mosbach was gearing up for her
sophomore season. No longer unsure about cross country, Mosbach had
grown to embrace the sport, and her workout program reflected
that.
“Over the summer I added up more miles than I did last year,”
Mosbach said. “Last year I just winged it. I didn’t really want to
do cross country that much. This year I tried harder.
“Seeing what I did last year, I wanted to improve on it,” Mosbach
said.
Mosbach was the Lady Devils’ top runner all season with a list of
accomplishments that includes winning the Princeton Invitational,
earning NCIC Lincoln All-Conference honors with a fourth-place
finish at the Conference Meet, and making her second-straight trip
to sectionals, finishing fourth at the Rock Falls Regional at
20:04.
For her achievements this season, Mosbach is the girls’ 2009 Cross
Country BCR Runner of the Year, the first winner for the Lady
Devils since Ashley Davis in 2003.
Mosbach said the highlight of her sophomore campaign was winning
the Princeton Invite, which she did with a time of 19:49.
“That was awesome for me. I was so happy,” Mosbach said. “I didn’t
expect to be first at all. There was around 100 meters left in the
race, and Haley (Sack, of Mendota) had passed me already,” Mosbach
said.
“I was like, ‘Uh, I want to give up.” But then I heard everyone
cheering, and I went after it. Afterwords I was glad I went after
it.”
While she admits she is not always the biggest fan of practicing,
Mosbach said once the starting gun sounds, all the hard work is
worthwhile.
“Once you get out there and you race, it’s an awesome feeling,”
Mosbach said. “After I’m done racing, I feel energized, like I
actually accomplished something.”
Being able to watch her older brother T.J. prepare for his senior
season this year helped Mosbach gain an appreciation of working
hard to reach goals.
“It was eye-opening,” Mosbach said. “I think I should have even ran
more than I did this summer because T.J. worked his butt off so
much this year.
“I’m so proud of him because I know that he wanted to make it to
state, and that’s where he got. So I’m definitely going to carry
that on into this summer and work harder than I did, keep on
working harder,” she said.
Like her brother, Mosbach has her sites on reaching state next
season.
“I’m going to seriously kick it in next summer,” said Mosbach. “I
can’t wait for next year.”
Along with T.J., Mosbach’s older brother, Alex Flores, was also a
standout runner for the Red Devils and later in college at St.
Ambrose.
“It runs in the family I guess,” said Mosbach. “I guess if I didn’t
do it, it would just be weird ... It would be kind of a
disappointment if I didn’t do it — for myself.”
Another member of the family who will be getting more involved in
cross country will be Elizabeth’s father, Mark, who is looking to
step in and help run her summer workout program.
“My dad wants to take over, but he doesn’t know the first thing
about running,” laughed Mosbach. “I don’t know how that’s going to
work out,” she chuckled.
Mosbach said she continues to grow in her love for the sport with
each season.
“I think that every year it grows even more on me,” Mosbach said.
“I love it every time; each race I love cross country even
more.”
