If Valparaiso sophomore Ava Gilliana and senior Logan Ferngren had stat lines from Saturday’s Duneland Athletic Meet, it would’ve featured a lot of hand slaps, finger snaps and shake outs.
That’s part of the in-race communication Valparaiso’s top running duo has developed in their two seasons as teammates, and it had them leading the field during Saturday’s race at Lake Central.
Gilliana was first with a time of 18 minutes, 3 seconds, and Ferngren finished one second later as the runner-up. The two ran together for the entire race, breaking away from the lead pack just before the finish line.
“It’s nice to have a teammate right there encouraging you during a race when you know they’re wasting their breath to help you out,” Gilliana said.
Their non-verbal cues during a race developed during practice. When one of the two Vikings is ahead, they’ll reach their hand back for a teammate to slap, ensuring that they’re not falling behind. And if there’s a concern that they are falling back, a few quick finger snaps will encourage them to keep up.
For the most part, the only verbal communication is when they’ll tell a teammate to “shake out,” prompting a quick shake of the arms.
“It’s a way of motivating myself while also helping (Gilliana) out,” Ferngren said. “It’s not only telling her that we can do this together, but it’s also telling myself to keep my head in it.”
Not only did this strategy help Gilliana and Ferngren lead the pack, it helped Valparaiso beat Chesterton 36-68 for the team title. Shelby Bullock was third (18:06) for the Trojans. Shelby Riehle was fourth (18:09) for LaPorte, which finished third with 71 points.
In the boys’ race, Chesterton’s Jakob Kintzele didn’t have any teammates nearby. It didn’t matter.
Kintzele finished first in 15:15, well ahead of runner-up Collin Huber of Valparaiso (15:29). Running solo for virtually the entire race was all part of Kintzele’s plan.
“I like racing by myself,” Kintzele said. “It’s more relaxing. Less tense.”
Kintzele took control early and never looked back. Along with that in-race strategy, Kintzele also brought back a tradition involving coach Tim Ray that Kintzele used during a successful track season last spring.
“I gave him my watch before the start,” he said. “That was good luck during the (track) season, so I decided to try it out today.”
More Top Picks Greenworks G Max 40v
Chesterton (84) finished third behind Valpo (35) and Crown Point (67). Valparaiso was led by Huber in second and Carlos Martinez in third (15:40).
Dave Melton is a freelance writer for the Post-Tribune.