By Scott Brinton
It was Nov. 7, the day before the New York State Cross-Country Championship. And, in fact, Beim had to dash off soon. She was scheduled to walk through the 3.1-mile course at Sunken Meadow State Park in an hour or so. Beim, 17, a senior from Merrick, was the sole member of the powerhouse Mepham girls' cross-country team to qualify this year for the state championship.
Beim finished sixth in Nassau County in Class A to make the state meet, considered one of the country's most competitive championships. At counties, she finished the 3.1-mile course at Bethpage State Park in 19 minutes, 19 seconds, a personal best.
Most runners would have been satisfied with such a performance, but Beim's goal was to earn All-State honors. To do so, she would have to finish in the Top 25 in New York, a considerable feat given the level of competition.
After six hard years of endurance training, Beim reached her goal, running the Sunken Meadow course in 19:59 and placing 19th in the championship to earn an All-State medal. She was Bellmore-Merrick's top finisher at the state meet.
Dave Frazer, the Mepham girls' cross-country coach, was ecstatic that Beim realized her longtime dream. He said it couldn't have happened to a nicer young woman. "She's the best," Frazer said. "She's the type of kid that makes you a better coach. You have to match her intensity."
Frazer said Beim is incredibly well respected by her teammates, 35 of whom braved pouring rain and a steady wind to cheer her on at the championship meet. "They were all excited when she got a medal," he said.
"Right off the bat in seventh grade, I started running," Beim said. "In eighth grade, I realized I just wanted to run, and that carried through high school. I just loved the team."
Before this season, the Mepham girls' squad had captured six straight Class A county championships. Since her freshman year, Beim played a critical role on the squad. This year, Mepham grabbed a conference championship but fell short at counties, despite Beim's Top 10 finish.
Before the state meet, Beim said, "This is my last year doing it, so I just want to leave it all on the course. I'm running for the school, for the team. I'm running for Mepham."
The weeks leading to the state meet were stressful for Beim, who was applying to 10 top-ranked colleges at the time. Next year she hopes to attend a solid academic school with a top-notch cross-country program. Ranked 13th in a class of 329 at Mepham, she has maintained a 96 average throughout high school while taking a host of Advanced Placement courses, including physics -- her favorite class. She is also an active member of Mepham's Students Against Destructive Decisions club, recently serving as its charity walk-a-thon chairperson.
Mepham Principal Michael Harrington said Beim "is the model of a well-rounded student. I am just very proud she is a Mepham student. She represents the school in the very best way. She's the kind of student you want your own kids to grow up to be."
Comments about this story? SBrinton@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 203.
