Falcon duo made mark at state meet
By Jason Arndt
Staff Writer
As the season progressed, Westosha Central High School distance runners Sheel Patel and Meghan Capra started to develop confidence and composure, according to cross country coach Keith Olsen.
The confidence paid off for senior Sheel Patel, who notched the third-highest finish in school history in last weekend’s WIAA Division 1 state cross country meet in Wisconsin Rapids, where he placed 27th of 189 athletes with a registered time of 16 minutes, 25.16 seconds.
Meanwhile, for junior Meghan Capra, who took 56th of 189 girls, it was an improvement from last year, when she took 92nd.
“I was stoked by their performances,” Olsen said. “Sheel posted the third-highest place for any Central boy at state and has the second fastest time.”
“Meghan has another year to progress some more, yet, so the future looks bright,” Olsen added.
The finishes were indicative of the confidence both had as the cross country season moved forward, Olsen said.
“Sheel, like Meghan, just really became more confident as the year progressed,” Olsen said. “We ran against some pretty good kids and teams through our season and they continued to hold their own.”
Patel on a mission
Entering the season, Patel trained vigorously, running 70 miles per week with hopes of catching last year’s Falcon state representative, Jacob Hebior.
Patel’s mission was accomplished, supplanting Hebior’s 75th-place finish from a year ago, when he focused on the departing senior’s times.
“I was working pretty hard to chase his best times in previous years,” Patel said. “I always kept my goals high, even if they felt unreachable, because I knew that I could accomplish my goals during the season if I just put in the work and time to do so.”
While he stayed focused, Patel credited Olsen for instilling confidence in him throughout the season.
“I never could have attained any of my goals without aiming high, and of course, Coach KO,” he said.
Coming off a third-place sectional finish to advance to the state meet, Patel kept pace with the competition before dashing ahead to finish among the top 30.
“I kept the first mile, and then after the mile mark, I just let myself go and ran the race,” Patel said. “When I first ran, I wasn’t expecting it, and it felt pretty exhilarating and good to finish in the top 30.”
Capra relied on team support
With a handful of teammates cheering Capra during the race, the three-time state qualifier produced her best finish, taking 56th at 19:48.05
Capra’s previous best came last year, when she placed 92nd at 20:25.8, besting her 100th-place finish as a freshman.
“I trained a lot and I really wanted to get better in state,” Capra said. “And got a lot of help and support from my friends.”
Her friends, she said, bolstered her motivation in the state meet.
“It was awesome knowing that they came all the way up here and supported us,” she said.
Capra acknowledged her junior season brought improvements, but notes she wants to bolster her times entering next year.
“This year, I wasn’t too happy with some of my times,” Capra said. “But it will push me to get better.”
However, if she continues the same offseason workout regimen from last summer, when she ran along with the boys, Capra believes it is a step in the right direction.
“When we had workouts, I trained with the guys to push myself to be better,” Capra said.
Olsen continued to reiterate focus and consistency during the season, which both accomplished, despite intense competition.
“Both of them were very consistent throughout the season, which was something we focused on as well,” said Olsen, who placed an emphasis on strengths and their past accomplishments.
“Both of them did a great job of this.”