Coming on strong: Influence from Bartels helps Marianos improve

The "Knucklehead of the Week" honor is given to a member of the Brentsville girls' cross country team as a way of playfully poking fun at her mishaps.

Jill Marianos has been an unfortunate winner. Twice.

Marianos' teammates take note of her pigeon-toed running form -- "It looks kind of goofy," she said -- and having her finger stuck in the baton during practice for the Brentsville Relays as her fellow runners were listening to coach Rob Dulin's instructions.

"She can do some really dumb things and we all can," senior teammate Allison Bartels said. "But Jill does it the most publicly."

Marianos's finishes this season, however, are no laughing matter. A 27th during the 73-person Elite Girls' race at the Disney World Classic helped the Tigers take second and postseason finishes of sixth and 16th at the Evergreen District and Region II races, respectively have given the Tigers two postseason titles.

The biggest challenge for Marianos and her teammates comes in Saturday's Group AA race where the Tigers will try to unseat defending champion Blacksburg and reclaim a title which has eluded them since 2005.

For the Tigers to do that, Marianos, a junior, must continue building on her improvements during the season.

"My hill work is a lot better," Marianos said. "I have a lot more endurance and that's where I catch a lot of people. I did well at regionals and there's a large hill I did well on. I've been pushing myself during the most tiring times in the race."

That ability is due to the influence of Bartels, her training partner and all-state runner from 2008. When Bartels moved with her family to Prince William County from Texas in December 2007, hers and Marianos's families continued the friendship that began during the time both lived in Chicago when their respective fathers worked together.

In preparation for this season, Bartels and Caitlin Hoffman organized team runs for training purposes. If Marianos could not attend, Bartels offered to run with her in separate sessions.

"She was always willing to run with me and work me harder than anyone," Marianos said. "She never let me take the easy way. She's a good captain. She makes sure we're working to our highest potential. She's very supportive. She always wants us to do well."

Improvements aside, Bartels wanted her friend to enjoy running.

"I never liked to run in middle school," Marianos said. "But she has such a love for it and she showed the whole team that hard work pays off."

Marianos now believes her talent and focus can take her far.

"She's definitely realized how great she can be," Bartels said. "She's started to take it a lot more seriously, not that she didn't take it seriously the year before. She's really taking it seriously and it's become something important to her."

What will be important for the Tigers on Saturday is to tighten gaps between their top four runners and next three. Bartels, Morgan Price, Hoffman and Marianos claimed four of the top 18 spots at the Region II meet. Brentsville's next three finished 28th, 39th and 52nd, respectively.

"We're hoping to keep our packs really tight together and have our top three girls together in the first mile and our four through seven together in the first mile," Marianos said.

"My personal goal for states is to stay closer to Morgan Price. I think there's 40 seconds between us and I want to close that. I'm hoping to break 20 minutes. I want us all to stay really close. I think our top five are definitely capable of running under 20 minutes."

Staff writer Robert Daski can be reached at 703-878-8049.