Grade 9 phenom Siemens wins Valley XC title
Alex Siemens might only be in Grade 9, but that mattered little on Wednesday, as the W.J. Mouat runner won the senior high school girls title at the Fraser Valley Cross Country Championships.
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Updated: October 30, 2009 12:27 AM
Alex Siemens might be a diminutive runner, but she turned in a weighty performance at the Fraser Valley Cross Country Championships.
Competing against athletes three years older than her, the five-foot-two Grade 9 phenom from W.J. Mouat Secondary won the gold medal in the senior girls division at the Fraser Valleys, held Wednesday at Hope Golf Club.
"When I go into these competitions, all these girls are so much bigger, and I don't know how I'm going to do it," said Siemens, 14. "But my coaches train me really hard, I eat healthy, and I try my best. I might be small, but I'm a really strong runner."
On Wednesday, Siemens took the lead from the beginning and was never seriously challenged as she covered the 4.4 kilometre course in 18:16. The course was wet and muddy, but the unsure footing was little detriment to Siemens, who finished 28 seconds ahead of runner-up Allison Williams of Semiahmoo.
Siemens trains with the Valley Royals Track and Field Club, and Royals head coach Gerry Swan raved about her skills.
"She doesn't weigh 100 pounds," Swan marveled, "but she just floats."
Kiya Posthumus of Rick Hansen Secondary also medaled at the Valleys, finishing third in the senior girls race in a time of 18:44. Posthumus started strongly and held onto second place until late in the race, when Williams passed her.
Janelle Hay of Abbotsford Christian also turned in a solid result at the Valleys, notching a fourth-place finish in the junior girls event in a time of 20:25.
