MIAMI HEARLD ARTICLE

Here is the link to the article on Layna and our girls team from the Miami Herald.

http://www.miamiherald.com/619/story/299961.html

Here is a copy of the article:

MIAMI HERALD
CROSS-COUNTRY
Senior recovers to chase state title

Senior Layna Roycraft, back from a leg injury, hopes to help Westminster Academy qualify for the the state finals.

Posted on Thu, Nov. 08, 2007

BY FABIAN LYON
flyon@MiamiHerald.com

When Layna Roycraft won the District 7-1A title last Friday, it earned the Westminster Academy senior more than a qualifying spot in the Region 4-1A Championships.
The victory also brought Roycraft a step closer to the state finals berth that was thwarted by a stress fracture last season.
Now brimming with confidence after an injury-free season that has launched her to the sixth-best time in Broward (19:33), Roycraft is expected to place among the top three runners and help the Lions qualify for the FHSAA finals in Dade City on Nov. 17.
''This is my last chance to be a region champion, I need to do it,'' Roycraft said. ``I had a stress fracture on my right fibula which eventually broke. I was doubtful when I first came back from the injury. Now I know I can do it.''
Roycraft, who showed her grit by running with the fracture through her junior track and cross country seasons, has come back better than ever.
She enters Saturday's meet at the Westminster Academy Complex with a career-best 19:33 (No. 14 in the flrunners.com Class 1A rankings) set on Oct. 24.
Roycraft started her senior season on a strong note, placing second at the Palm Beach Central Invitational and first at the Miami Country Day Invitational. She also finished third at the Westminster Academy Invitational, second at the Spanish River Invitational and first at the South Atlantic Coast Conference Championships on Oct. 18.
''I think this year Layna realized how much more work she needed to do to get to that next level,'' said Lions coach Paul Baur. ``I am looking forward to seeing what she can do at regionals. Dade Christian will try to run in front of her and Layna knows that. It will be good to see her run with a little bit of pressure.''
Roycraft is enjoying her moment in the sun after a prolonged recovery from a stress fracture. After sitting out most of last season to allow the fracture to heal, Roycraft returned for the postseason in hopes of extending the Lions four-year run to the state tournament.
Roycraft labored through the pain and advanced to regionals but ultimately fell short, along with her teammates, of earning a qualifying spot to the state finals.
''To not make it to states was really hard,'' said Roycraft. ``We had made it since my seventh grade year. To watch our boys team compete without us was horrible. We knew that we should have been out there.''
While Dade Christian is the overwhelming favorite to win the girls region title, the Lions should be in the mix, along with Miami Country Day, for the runner-up spot.
The Lions are looking to carry over the momentum from their district title when Roycraft, Emily Carlson, Kara Gahagen, Circe Burnett, Kayla Cochran and Brittany Carey placed in the top 16.
Meanwhile, Roycraft's main competition for the individual title figures to be Dade Christian eighth-grader Giselle Suarez, who won the District 8-1A title in 20:25.
But no matter how her final cross country race at home unfolds, Roycraft said she already considers herself a more complete runner because of the trials she has had to overcome.
''`Going through the injury made me a stronger person and stronger athlete,'' Roycraft said. ``The older you get, the more you are going to mature. Mentally it has taken more. That has impacted my performance.''