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Bucs' Blake Can Stomach Result

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By BILL WARD, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 18, 2007

DADE CITY - Berkeley Prep's Richard Blake has a rather odd habit at state cross country and track meets. Besides a tendency of being a top finisher in title races, the lanky senior usually becomes sick to his stomach shortly after crossing the finish line.

But after earning his third straight top-five finish at the Class 1A cross country finals by taking third in Saturday's 1A race, Blake sat down on the infield and finally found a way to control his nerves and emotions.

"Overall, I'm not upset with how I did," said Blake, who posted his best 5-kilometer time on the course at 16:17. "I was looking for a win, or maybe second place, but third is fine. I'm more concerned with how our team did."

On that score, the Buccaneers' boys were fifth. It was the third straight year Berkeley placed among the five.

In the girls' meet, Olivia D'Angelo, who was 14th, and Page Price (31st) led the Bucs to seventh place. It was the eighth consecutive year Berkeley's girls team placed in the top 10. D'Angelo's race-time tendency is to smile while she runs. That's a bit unusual considering how much it hurts to run hard for 3.1 miles.

"I think it smiling helps," D'Angelo said. "At one race, FSU, I was really nervous and then I saw people in the crowd I knew, I waved to them smiling, and it just really helped me."

Making its first state meet appearance in years as a team, the Tampa Prep boys finished 11th, led by senior Aaron Koch. Running as an individual, Tampa Prep freshman Lauren Knoke took 36th. Paced by seventh grader Hannah Palm (23rd), Keswick Christian's girls cracked the top 10 with a sixth-place showing. Shorecrest's boys were ninth, led by junior Stephen Spanos (24th).

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