Gulf girls cross country: turning it around

By BART O'CONNELL

NEW PORT RICHEY - Jessica Peck and Jaci Pustelnik don't have fond memories of the old days as Gulf cross country runners.

The bickering, the rivalries and the tension got to them last year. Practices were as stressful as meets, with young runners afraid to beat the veterans for fear of being yelled at or creating a fuss.

It all came to a merciful end at last year's region tournament, with the Bucs finishing a disappointing ninth overall to miss the state tournament by a wide margin.

"Everyone would talk behind each other's backs," Peck recalls. "Oh, she's not that good a runner anyway, that kind of stuff. But luckily, we don't have those things anymore."

Nowadays a practice at Des Little Stadium is full of laughter, jokes and camaraderie. And when it's time to get to work, Peck leads the group of seven onto the track for warmups.

No longer a cross country team in need of group therapy, Gulf improved to sixth at regional this season and advanced to Saturday's Class 3A state finals at Little Everglades Ranch in Dade City. Only one other Pasco team, the Land O' Lakes boys, have made it this far.

The reason for the turnaround is simple - the Bucs are close, in more ways than one.

"They're friends," said Coach Dean Lofton. "They're also one of the most talented groups we've had. We've got seven good runners out there, that's for sure. We're not hurting at the tail end like a lot of schools are."

Joining juniors Peck, Pustelnik and sophomore Miranda Wright are four newcomers - sophomores Brittnie Bennett and Shelby Snider, along with freshman Tia Brown and Colleen McAuliffe. All seven runners finished in less than 25 minutes at regional, with Bennett (18th), McAuliffe (38th), Peck (52nd) and Snider (54th) providing the depth that ultimately edged out seventh place Wesley Chapel by 18 points.

Peck has her own brand of leadership in practice that has also been crucial to the team's success.

"She's just a little bossy," Lofton said. "She likes everything done right and when it's supposed to be done."

Pustelnik has emerged as Gulf's top runner with a streak of strong finishes that began at districts in Brooksville. She finished eighth (21:46) on the sandy Central High course, and followed that with 10th place (21:30) at regionals on the hilly Jenkins High course in Lakeland.

Another stern test lies ahead at Little Everglades, where Pustelnik will try to block out the memories of her last experience there - a painful battle with shin splints in last year's district meet.

"I was crying the entire race," said Pustelnik, who wound up 37th. "I finished because I pushed myself. Once I got to the finish line, I could not walk."

Afterward, she briefly was on crutches and did not compete at the regional meet. Now at full strength, Pustelnik is gunning for a top-20 finish, and she thinks Gulf can get in the top 10. Lofton said he would be thrilled if his team cracks the top 15.

The only thing the Bucs know for sure is that this season won't end like the last.

"I think it's going to be a good race for us," Peck said. "We've been training hard for it and we all have great attitudes. No matter what happens, we're all going to walk away with smiles on our faces, because we made it to state."