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02/15/2017 11:00 PMThe Guilford girls’ indoor track team has been making some major headway this postseason and one of the biggest reasons is the performance of Meredith Bloss, who’s hitting her stride while logging some major miles.
Bloss, a sophomore, started her running career as a 7th-grader with the cross country squad at Adams Middle School. Still a cross country runner, Meredith put together an exceptional campaign on the trails last fall by earning All-SCC First Team honors, along with All-State and New Haven Register All-Area recognition, on her way to qualifying for the New England Championship.
Now, Meredith is continuing her success on the indoor circuit this winter by winning the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs with times of 5:19.17 and 11:50.80, respectively, while helping the Indians finish second at the SCC East Sectional Championship. She then made the All-Conference Second Team as the runner-up in those same two events at the SCC Championship, where Guilford posted a fourth-place finish. Then on Feb. 11, Meredith notched perhaps the biggest achievement of her young career when she set a school record in the 3,200 by finishing third in 11:08.09 at the Class L State Championship.
“A big factor in my success has been not worrying about the race or getting super nervous,” says Meredith, who ran faster times in both the 1,600 (5:14.93) and 3,200 (11:23.36) at SCCs than in her victories at sectionals. “It’s nice also to help Guilford get back on the board. The entire team’s confidence has boosted as a whole and it helps us prepare for next year. Running is also something to channel my effort and energy into.”
Running a pair of distance events on the conference’s biggest stages can be an exasperating endeavor for any athlete. To get through the grind, Meredith simply took it one event at a time and reminded herself that she’s no stranger to these types of races.
“Going into sectionals, I was tired because we all get tired at the end of the year. After the 1,600, I felt I had potential to do well in the 3,200,” Meredith says. “Distance running is mindset based. You have to tell yourself that you’ve run the distance before. You also can’t get too stressed out about it.”
Guilford’s girls’ indoor track Head Coach Jon Rivera says that Meredith brings a mentality that’s competitive, but always positive, to the track and her surrounding teammates.
“Meredith has followed up an amazing fall with a great indoor season. Meredith has a great, fun-loving attitude, but you would be hard-pressed to find people that work harder. Her fun-loving spirit is a great addition to our team,” says Rivera. “She has improved her personal-record times steadily this season. She missed being the SCC champion in the 1,600 by fractions of a second. One of the more humble athletes we have had. Her future is very bright and she will be a big star this spring. [Guilford girls’ cross country Head Coach and indoor assistant Jim Ford] has done a great job maximizing her talents.”
Whether she’s in the lane or on the cross country course, Meredith loves the challenge of having it all fall on her shoulders when it comes to running for the long haul. Meredith feels that she’s gained a mental edge as a result of pushing herself for extended periods of time.
“I like the mile and two-mile events because I tend to not do as well with the shorter distance events. I love that it’s just you out there and that you have to work for it,” says Meredith. “Running helps you know that you can get through harder workouts, which helps your confidence as a runner.”
Looking ahead to her sophomore outdoor season, as well as her next two years at Guilford, Meredith wants to leave her mark by achieving some big-time milestones, while helping the Indians climb the conference and state ranks.
“I want to try and go for the school records in the two-mile,” says Meredith, who thanks all of her cross country and track teammates. “I want our teams to do as well as we can in the postseason and I also want to do whatever I can to help make that happen.”