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John Lovik sets PR for course at state finishing 24th in 17:08

John Lovik finished 24th in cross country at state Saturday afternoon.

Lovik ran 17:08, finishing behind district rivals Terran and Jarred Swohosky.

“John ended up getting outkicked at the end by Terran,” Coach Wayne Spinney said, but he set a PR for that course, Lane Community College, by 18 seconds. He also beat some runners who beat him earlier in the season.

“I was happy with the time,” Lovik said. “I had a hope I’d place a little higher, but I got a PR so I can’t complain.”

The state course is slow, Lovik said. He went out steady at the start, finishing the first mile at 5:13, which was a faster pace that “didn’t kill me.”

“John ran smart the whole way,” Coach Spinney said. After the first half mile, he was running about 40th. He moved up gradually, running 25th or 26th at the two-mile mark.

“I focused on one guy,” Lovik said. “If he was going to slow, I’d move up.”

Lovik ran with one athlete from Phoenix for much of the race. When they went into the final stretch, about five runners were sprinting for the finish line. Two finished ahead of Lovik.

“He had a great season,” Coach Spinney said. “I’m convinced that if John had a team to run with, he’d have run 16:20 or better.”

The remaining Huskies ran more than a minute behind Lovik at the district meet. Lovik ran 16:53. The next Husky runner was Chris Burford at 18:12. If the next runners were closer, Coach Spinney believes they would have spurred Lovik on to lower times.

Had Lovik not missed several meets early in the season with illness, he might have broken 17 minutes at state as well.

Lovik is motivated by a variety of factors, often running his best races when he is angry, Coach Spinney said. “Saturday, he was very focused and very relaxed. He ran the best cross country race he’s ever run.”

“I tried more meditation, quiet stuff, to relax me and get pumped up,” Lovik said.

“It was just an incredible day for running,” Coach Spinney said. He enjoyed watching the 4A defending champion in one of the best races he had ever seen, with the winning runner finishing in the 14 minute range. “The weather was just superb. There were lots of people there.”

“I really thought our whole team was going to go,” Lovik said. “So I’m really disappointed.”

Looking forward to next season, Lovik said, the team will lose several seniors, but several underclassmen are there to move up.

“I don’t know,” Lovik said of next year’s chances of a team run at state. “We’ll see who comes out.”

Wilsonville won the boys 3A race. Philomath was second. Molalla finished sixth, and Sisters finished seventh. In the girls 3A race, Baker finished first. Sisters was second.

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