Girls' Cross Country: Archives

The Taft girls ran well at the New England D1 Championship at far-away Andover.  Though the Rhinos had no Varsity runner in the top 20, seven runners crossed the finish in under 22 minutes -- a feat matched only by Nobles, the winner of the meet.  In the JV meet, Taft girls ended the season in style, with co-captain Emma Stein winning the race outright and Elizabeth Shea coming in 4th overall. We look forward to next season!

The Taft girls' cross country team ran a great race at the 2011 Founders' League championship meet.  Despite the wild weather last weekend, the Hotchkiss course was in good shape, with just a touch of mud in some spots (kudos to the Hotchkiss grounds crew and athletic department!).  In the varsity race, the lead pack established themselves early on with Kent's Nicole Marvin setting a punishing pace, followed by runners from Hotchkiss, Loomis and Miss Porter's.  Nicole would go on to set a new course record by a wide margin.  Taft's Sara Iannone maintained contact with that lead pack over the hilly 3.06 mile course, though, and finished in 9th overall with a fantastic time of 20:28.  The Taft girls did a great job of staying close to one another, so that Dana Biddle and Caroline Manly were not far behind Sara, in 14th and 16th places respectively.  Less than 45 seconds later, the next pack of Tafties crossed the line as Courtney Jones, Eleanour Hough, Colleen Iannone and Emme Stein finished in 23rd, 24th, 26th and 29th place of 55 runners.  Thus, Taft got all seven runners through in the top half of the pack- an impressive acheivement. 

The JV team also had a great race, with Elizabeth Shea bouncing back from injury to win the race outright in 22:14.  Rashi Narayan finished in 15th of 83 runners in her first Founders League meet, not letting on that she has been plagued by a nagging knee injury.  Megan TeeKing, Maddie Estey,  Kaela Gilbert, Hanna Dethlefs and Josie Danziger rounded out the JV scorers, earning us a solid 3rd place in that race.  Naomi Muniz, Nicole Lu, Sue Ann Young,  Maddie Olmstead,  Mayra Arroyo and Ava Menin all triumphed over the hills of Hotchkiss and finished strong in the JV race.

Complete results can be found at http://www.coolrunning.com/results/11/ct/Nov5_Founde_set1.shtml

Next week, we journey to Andover for the New England division 1 championship.

The weather was possibly the best the Girls' Cross Country team has seen this season, and the Taft girls took full advantage, setting a flurry of season and personal bests on the flat, fast Williston course.  Williston's fleet-of-foot #1 runner Devon Greenwood took an early lead that she maintained for the entire 5K course.  However, Sara Iannone kept the gap relatively close for much of the race, finishing in second place with a blazing time of 19:50.  Less than 40 seconds behind Iannone, a pack of Taft runners, including Caroline Manly,  Jessica Fredericks, Dana Biddle and Courtney Jones, rounded out the top five.  Seventh place went to Williston, followed just two seconds later by another pack of Tafties, including  tri-captains Eleanor Hough and Emma Stein, followed closely by the first JV Rhino runner, Colleen Iannone.

JV runners came in 1,2 and 3, sealing an unofficial JV victory.  Other notable finishes included all of our JV scorers: Rashi Narayan , Megan TeeKing, tri-captain Maddy Estey, and Kaela Gilbert.  Natalie Kapp, Izzi Shafran and Katherine Roznik crossed hand in hand. with huge smiles on all of their faces.  Ava Mennin took almost a minute off of her previous fastest mile splits.   

The Williston team was a gracious host, and Taft would also like to congratulate the small contingent of middle school runners who toughed out the entire 5K race, a much longer distance than a typical middle school race. 

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Foreboding skies and cold showers cleared just in time for the Taft girls to set off against Berkshire and Suffield on Berkshire's formidable course.  Despite a daunting hill in the second mile,  Sara Iannone, Dana Biddle, Jessica Fredericks, Caroline Manly, Courtney Jones, tri-captain Emma Stein and Megan TeeKing got it done for Taft.  Every one of the Big Red's varsity runners looked strong and in control throughout the race.

 In other notable finishes,  Maddie Olmstead made an exciting charge to the finish, coming within a hair of beating a Suffield runner whom she had been trailing for much of the race.  Tri-captain Maddie Estey, Rashi Narayan, Josie Danziger and Addie Warner filled out the rest of our strong JV team. 

Next week, we are away again in Massachusetts, this time facing Williston Northampton.

Taft girls beat NMH, but came up short against Hotchkiss and Loomis in an exciting, muddy contest at Loomis.  The flat Loomis course allowed all competitors to showcase their speed to greatest effect.  Briana Malanga of Loomis ran a smart, controlled race and finished  more than 30 seconds ahead of her Loomis teammate, Lindsay Gabow.  Sammi Glass, sister of Taft's own Rhydian, was less than a step behind, finishing in third place overall.  Taft girls dominated places 9 through 20, taking 9th (Sara Iannone), 10th (Dana Biddle), 11th (Caroline Manly), 13th (Jessica Fredericks), 15th  (cocaptain Eleanor Hough), 17th (Colleen Iannone), and 20th (Courtney Jones).  Unfortunatley, it wasn't enough to overcome Loomis or Hotchkiss,  but we did manage to score a win against NMH.   Despite the warm, humid weather that hindered proper breathing, each of the seven Taft varsity runners took a considerable amount of time off of her mile splits from last week.

Taft JV runners also showed improvements over the last few weeks.  Emma Stein was first for JV and 23rd overall.  Not far behind was Rashi Narayan, battling a sore knee. Katherine Roznik, Megan TeeKing and Addie Warner rounded out the five scoring JV girls.  Echoing the varsity results, JV was victorious against NMH, but fell to deep Loomis and Hotchkiss teams.  Sydney Robertson overcame nagging hip pain to finish her first meet as a Taft runner, while Naomi Muniz, Maddie Olmstead, Sue Ann Young, Josie Danziger, Nicole Lu, Ava Mennin and Eugene Lee finished strong and smiling (though some complained of "bugs on their tonsils!").

Next week, we face Berkshire and Suffield and Berkshire.

Taft's depth was displayed to great effect this Saturday.  The Choate course was muddy and boasts a formidable hill.   The Taft girls know hills, though, and were undaunted.  After a very slippery start, the Rhinos settled in and went to work.  Sara Iannone, Dana Biddle and Caroline Manly established themselves as the lead Taft girls early on, giving chase to Choate's exceptional top three.  Not far behind Caroline, Colleen Iannone, co captains Emma Stein and Eleanor Hough, and Courtney Jones managed to form a solid line of red between Choate's  third and fourth place runners.   Unfortunatley,  Choate capitalized on their home course advantage and swept the top three places, ensuring their victory.  Because Taft captured the next seven spots, though, we lost by just a single point.  This is especially remarkable because we were without two of the seven girls who ran varsity last week.

In unofficial JV scoring, Taft won by a comfortable margin.  Rashi Narayan was our first JV runner and just 13th overall in the meet.  She was just seconds ahead of Leah McIntosh, who ran a truly gutsy race.  Cocaptain Maddie Estey, Megan TeeKing and newcomer Addie Warner rounded out our JV squad for the meet.

Next week, we hope to return to full stregnth for an important quad meet against Hotchkiss, Loomis and NMH at Loomis.

Taft Girls' Cross Country put in a strong showing against two gutsy teams this Saturday.  Course conditions were sloppy, but Big Red was committed to a solid opening meet at home.  Superstar Nora Weathers from Miss Porter's ran the course in a blistering 18:25 despite the mud.  Taft's Sara Iannone managed to hold off Suffield's top runner, Amanda Leonard, to hold onto second place.  Taft's Dana Biddle was fourth,  followed closely by Porter's Wynne Hannan.  Rounding out the top ten were Susannah Davies from Porter's and new Tafties Caroline Manly and Jessica Fredericks, who were trailed by Suffield's Anna Strzempko and Emily Lowe.  Clearly all three schools have mastered the art of running as a team!  Other notable Taft finishes included Elizabeth Shea's clutch finish at 11th, co-captain Emma Stein's 6th place coming off a nagging ankle injury, and new Taftie Colleen Iannone representing the Varsity squad in the first race of her freshman year.

Taft's JV team was led by Courtney Jones.  She was followed closely by co-captain Eleanor Hough, newcomers Rashi Narayan and Katherine Roznik,  and co-captain Maddy Estey.  Though we do not score an official JV meet, Taft JV did win  against both Porter's and Suffield in unofficial scoring.  We look forward to capitalizing on our new depth for the rest of the season.

Our next meet is next Saturday against a tough Choate team at Choate.

The day gave a welcome return to mild temperatures and sunny skies.  Taft runners were battling injury and illness, but gamely soldiered on.  Many of the girls who ran  at the Brush Invitational  very early in the season and now in the New England meet, both held at Deerfield, showed improvements in their times.  Liz Sangree, Maddie Estey and  Elizabeth Shea deserve special recognition for shaving two minutes or more off of their Brush times.  In the varsity race, Sara Iannone came in first for Taft and 20th overall, beating a few of her arch rivals along the way.  Elizabeth Shea, Josie Traberg, Megan TeeKing, Steph Manley, Courtney Jones and Alanna Fogarty all ran hard and comprised the rest of the varsity team. Courtney and Alanna deserve special recognition for running despite not feeling even close to 100%.

In the  JV  race, Emma Stein just missed out on All New England honors, finishing 17th behind a sea of Andover blue.  Behind her, Maddie Estey, Eleanor Hough, Maggie Bogardus, Liz Sangree, Alison Johnston, Abby Purcell, Rhydian Glass, Katerina Rosen, Josie Danziger and Paige Rogers comprised the stellar JV crew. 

The girls cross country finishes with a winning record and a promise of great things to come, as five of the seven varsity runners from this race are sophomores.

With numbers somewhat depleted due to illness and injury, the Taft girls ran a solid race at the Founders League at Choate this past week.   Elizabeth Shea, who has been known to finish the race with a somersault, started this race with one as she and Megan TeeKing tangled feet at the crowded starting line.  Both were up in a millisecond and off to good finishes, despite some soreness from the tumble.  Sara Iannone ran a solid race, managing her second fastest mile splits of the season despite the hilly course.   She won all league honors with her ninth place finish overall.  Minus Courtney Jones, out ill for the week, the sophomore pack still came on strong, with Josie Traberg and her intense team spirit, Shea and TeeKing all running solid races for varsity.  Stephanie Manley and Emma Nealon were our two seniors in the varsity race, both running strong and assuming leadership roles.  Alanna Fogarty rounded out our varsity team, keeping up our tradition of fine hockey/ cross country dual sport athletes.

JV had a great meet - Taft placed three girls in the top 15.  Emma Stein was with the lead pack from start to finish, ending with a fabulous third place overall.    Maddie Estey made a take-no-prisoners charge for the finish line in the last 1/4 mile and ended up in 8th overall.  Eleanor Hough, finally feeling healthy after battling sore hamstrings all season, came in 11th overall.   Liz Sangree and Rhydian Glass showed incredible gains in speed and endurance over the past few years and rounded out our JV scorers.    Behind them, another eight Taft girls crossed the line, a testament to the newfound depth we have!

Wish us luck as we head to Deerfield next week, hopefully at full stregnth, for New Englands!

The Kent course is a true cross country course in that it has a little of just about everything: level forest paths, grassy trails alongside fields,  extremely rocky areas and two very steep hills.  The Taft girls ran very well despite the rugged course.  Kent's Nicole Marvin ran in an incredible 20:00  for the 3 mile course.  Behind her, though, a pack of five Taft girls demonstrated the depth we have shown all season.  Sara Iannone,  Elizabeth Shea and Josie Traberg were the first three for Taft, and all are members of the class of 2013.  Just behind them, captain Emma Nealon maintained a solid lead over Kent's #2 runner.  Taft girls made up six of the next eight across the line.  Courtney Jones and Megan Teeking came across the line within seconds of one another, giving sophomores  five of the top seven Taft spots.   Steph Manley finished strong and rounded out the varsity team.

Unofficially, JV had another amazing meet, winning with a score of 15-49.  Emma Stein, despite being a bit under the weather, ran a fantastic race and came in first for the JV squad.   Other Taft JV finishers included Eleanor Hough, Maddie Estey, Alanna Fogarty, and Alison Johnston.  We have a week to recover from the challenges of this course before we run our first of two championship meets.  We travel to Choate for the Founders' League Championship on Saturday- wish us luck!

The afternoon was windy and clear, and the color of the leaves was approaching its autumn peak.  The Suffield course traverses athletic fields, wooded areas, and recently harvested cornfields.  It certainly felt and looked like fall!  Despite losing a few of our runners to injury and illness, the Taft girls ran well.  Sophomore Sara Iannone ran a solid race and came in first for Taft and third overall, behind  Berkshire and Suffield's top athletes.  Captain Emma Nealon, demonstrating the speed she has when fully healthy, finished second for Taft and  fifth overall.   Just behind Suffield's third runner, four  Taft sophomores finished  within about 30 seconds of each other,  with three-year veteran Emma Stein crossing the line just behind them.  That impressive pack showcased our newfound depth and gave us the win over Suffield.  It also bodes well for our team over the next two years.   Berkshire had four runners in this meet, and so was unable to score a varsity team.

Once again, JV  had a spectacular (unofficial) meet.  Captain Abby Purcell, Maggie Bogardus, Alison Johnston, Eleanor Hough, Maddie Estey, Rhydian Glass and Katerina Rosen were the seven JV finishers and gave us a 15-53 win over Suffield. 

Next week, we are home for Parents' Day against a tough Williston-Northampton team.

On a gorgeous fall day in New England, 23 Taft runners toed the very long starting line at Loomis.  In a confusion of red Taft, NMH and Loomis uniforms, broken only by Hotchkiss blue, a wave of over 90 runners funneled along the flat, fast course. 

Taft's Sara Iannone began an immediate charge to the front of the pack.  She stayed with that pack the entire race, eventually finishing third overall in a blistering time of 19:46, just 15 seconds behind the winner, Sonja Skoularikis of Hotchkiss.  Behind her, Elizabth Shea had a fantastic race and managed to exude her trademark enthusiasm for the entire 3.1 miles.  Courtney Jones and Meghan Teeking came across the line within seconds of each other, giving the class of 2013 the top four spots for Taft.   Alanna Fogarty, Emma Stein and captain Emma Nealon rounded out the Taft varsity as they finished on each others' heels.  Despite fantastic efforts by these girls, Taft varsity fell to both Loomis and a very strong Hotchkiss team.  We did manage to take the win over a solid NMH team.

Steph Manley, Eleanor Hough,  captain Abby Purcell,  Maggie Bogardus, Rhydian Glass, Liz Sangree and Katerina Rosen made up the Taft JV squad for this race.  The JV team had a perfect score against NHM of 15-50.  They were also victorious against Hotchkiss, with a score of 21-40.  Unfortunately, Loomis' large team had too much depth and we lost that JV meet with a score of 26-31.  In other notable performances, Kymmy Deane completed her first cross country meet and every Taft runner who began the race finished the race running and with their head held high.

Next week, we face off against Berkshire and Suffield at Suffield.  Wish us luck!

After torrential rains for two straight days, the skies cleared and the course dried out enough to make for a great day of cross country.   The image at the starting line of 32 girls in Taft red was astonishing when one considers that the team numbered just 13 athletes two years ago.  Taft came off the line strong, with sophomore Sara Iannone  challenging Choate’s very strong top two runners.  Josie Traberg, captain Emma Nealon, Megan TeeKing, Elizabeth Shea, Courtney Jones and Alanna Fogarty were not far behind and formed a formidable pack between Choate’s number four and five runners.  Athletes from both teams battled all the way to the finish line, leading to a few exciting sprints over  the last 200 meters as runners jockeyed to move up one more place.  Despite outstanding performances by the Taft varsity runners, Choate’s impressive varsity team got the win. 

Unofficially, the JV girls continue the undefeated regular season streak they began last year, and again went  1-5, for a perfect score of 15 to Choate’s 45.  Though all the girls ran well, a few performances deserve special note.  Missy Davies completed her first cross country meet on Taft’s hilly home course and Liza Tolstokoraya took an astonishing 2:34 off of her mile splits since just last week.  Wish us luck when we travel up to Loomis for another challenging meet next Saturday!

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It was a warm, humid day at Avon Old Farms and several of the Taft girls were battling colds.   At the starting line, twenty nine Taft runners packed tightly between Porters and Suffield.  For several of these girls, it was their first cross country meet.  A few had just started running two short weeks ago.  Despite the heat, sore throats and inexperience, every one of those 29 girls crossed the finish line.

Middler Sarah Iannone took off from the starting line with her usual burst of speed.  Close on her heels were several Taft runners, including newcomers Josie Traberg and Meghan TeeKing.    Returners Steph Manley, captain Emma Nealon, captain Abby Purcell and newcomer Elizabeth Shea were also not far back.  However, the Porters team ran a very smart race.  Nora Weathers, Porter’s upper mid powerhouse, pulled ahead of Sara to win the race, while Nora’s teammates Wynne Hannan and Dana Fry finished third and seventh, respectively.  Suffield ran a strong race as well, with Anna Strzempko, Anna Leonard and Avery Schuster all making the top ten overall.

The depth of the Taft team, though, proved more than either Porters or Suffield could overcome.   The Taft girls came across the line in groups.  One impressive group included eight runners who took 17^th through 24^th place.   As long as the team can stay healthy and motivated, this should be a good season!

It was a great day for running, with crisp fall air and abundant sunshine.   The Taft girls looked strong on their first outing of the year.  For some girls, it was their first cross country meet but they all performed like seasoned veterans.   Several Taft girls took home commemorative tee shirts, the prize for placing in the top 15 of either the 11^th and 12^th grade race or the 9^th and 10^th grade race.  Prize winners included Steph Manley (8^th) , captains Emma Nealon (9^th) and Abby Purcell (14^th), and Alanna Fogarty (15^th) in the older girls’ race, and Sarah Iannone (4^th), Meghan TeeKing (9^th) and Elizabeth Shea (12^th) in the younger girls’ race.   Alison Johnston and Courtney Jones just missed placing in their respective races.   Returners Eleanor Hough, Maggie Bogardus, Rhydian Glass, Liz Sangree, Rachel Barnes and Paige Rogers looked strong and ready to improve on last year’s season.  Adding to that solid core, newcomers  Maddie Estey, Molly Lucas, and Jasmine Hanley all conquered those first race butterflies and ran very well for Taft.  It should be an exciting season for our team!

All season, we had been blessed with great running weather, despite often gloomy forecasts.  Our streak of good luck ended on Saturday.  The weather varied from light sprinkles to blinding downpours during all four races.  The NMH course, otherwise a pretty cross country course with a great mix of grassy fields and woodland paths, now featured several stretches of slippery mud and deep puddles.

The mud proved a real problem for the Taft team.  Emma Nealon, running in the top 20 for the bulk of the varsity girls’ race, slipped and rolled her ankle with only about ½ mile left.  Though she tried valiantly to finish, her ankle was sprained and she was forced to drop out.  Other runners also suffered falls and rolled ankles, but fortunately all other Taft runners crossed the finish line without major injuries. The rest of the Taft varsity team finished strong, with Sara Iannone and Courtney Jones, both freshmen, finishing in the top half of the runners.  Captains Kristen Proe and Zoe Hetzner, first year runner Alanna Fogarty and upper mid Abby Purcell all came across the line strong, despite being covered head to toe in mud.

The rain picked up and so did the wind by the time the girls JV race began.  Despite the chill and muddy conditions, the JV girls ran a great race  and placed 5th amongst the 11 teams present, beating archrivals Choate and Hotchkiss.  This speaks well of the depth of our team and our chances for future success at the varsity level.  Chels Maloney, Emma Stein, Leah McIntosh, Maggie Bogardus, Kate Moreau, Hanna Dethlefs, Alison Johnston, Liz Sangree, Rachel Barnes and Paige Rogers all finished muddy, soaking wet, but proud of themselves for a truly spectacular  undefeated JV regular season.

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The girls' X-C team travelled to Loomis for the league championship meet on a chilly Saturday.  The girls had high hopes for an improvement over last year's fifth place finish.  Our record during the regular season had been better and we had a strong team with a good mix of young and experienced runners.  However, a few of our runners were battling colds and that certainly was not to our advantage.

The varsity race started very well, with two of our girls in the top 10 overall during the early miles of the race.  Loomis and a very strong Hotchkiss team made some gains during the later stages of the race, however.  Eventually, the meet was won by a wide margin by Choate's talented Caroline Bazinet.   For Taft, junior Emma Nealon and freshman Sara Iannone finished in the top 15.  Not far behind were freshmen Courtney Jones and captain Kristen Proe.  Alanna Fogarty, coming back from an injury just last week, ran a solid race and rounded out the top five.  Abby Purcell came across the line strong, running her fastest splits of the season.  Zoe Hetzner battled through the race despite a bad cold and finished just three seconds behind her time from the regular season meet at Loomis.

The JV meet went very well for the Taft crew, though the results for the race were lost due to a malfunction of the timing equipment.  All reports indicate that five Taft girls came across the line in the top 15.  Four year senior Chels Maloney led the crew in fifth place overall.  She was closely followed by team newcomer Maggie Bogardus, then Emma Stein, freshman Leah McIntosh and veteran Kate Moreau.  Rachel Barnes, Liz Sangree and Paige Rogers all finished strong for the JV squad.  Once again, all the Taft runners exhibited the determination and team spirit that has been their hallmark.

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Despite dire weather predictions, the rain and snow held off throughout the meet.  Though chilly, it was a beautiful day for a race.  Berkshire's campus and cross country course were also picture perfect, boasting near peak fall colors and a course that traversed fields and soft wooded paths.

The Taft girls had a fantastic race.  Emma Nealon took command of the race early, setting a new course record with a blistering time of 19:22.  Not far behind, freshman Sarah Iannone also broke the course record, finishing 3rd overall behind Berkshire's Hilary Rawding.  Berkshire and Suffield runners took 4th, 5th and 6th, but were followed be a sea of red singlets.  Captain Kristen Proe, Courtney Jones, captain Zoe Hetzner, Maggie Bogardus,  and Emma Stein rounded out the varsity team and finished in 7, 8, 9,11 and 12 overall.

Just a few seconds behind Emma Stein, Abby Purcell came in first for the JV scoring,  Once again, Taft scored a perfect JV meet (15 points) over Suffield (Berkshire did not run a JV team).  Other JV scorers included Chelsea Maloney, Kate Moreau, Hanna Dethlefs,  and Eleanor Hough. 

Once more, everyone who started the race finished the race.  Liz Sangree ran her best race yet, and Hadley Sachs outsprinted a Suffield runner in the last few meters of race.   Paige Rogers, Alison Johnston, Rachel Barnes and Katerina Rosen all ran solid races this week.  These girls are truly a joy to coach.

In a rematch from the Andover Invitational last week, Conway from Loomis and Reid from NMH came across one and two overall.  They were followed by our own Emma Nealon and Sarah Iannone, with only a single second between them.  After a pack of Hotckiss runners lead by Meyer and Skoularikis, Courtney Jones was our third girl across the finish in 13^th overall.  Kristen Proe, Zoe Hetzner, Abby Purcell and Alanna Fogarty came across as a pack about 20 seconds later, attesting to the depth we have this year. 

Emma Stein and Chelsea  Maloney were the top of our JV runners, and both were in the top 25 overall.   Finishing with Chels were Maggie Bogardus and Eleanor Hough.   Hanna Dethlefs, Kate Moreau, Alison Johnston, Liz Sangree, Hadley Sachs (just back from an injury), Paige Rogers and Katerina Rosen rounded out the Taft girls.  Once again, everyone finished strong. 

It was a gray and humid day, but the rain held off long enough to get all three cross country races in at Choate.  The girls put in a great performance, running hard on a hilly course.  The race was won by Choate’s Caroline Bazinette in a blistering time of 20:18.  Choate’s Maggie Peard took second, coming from fourth place late in the race.  After that, it was a steady stream of Taft runners.  Our girls worked together, encouraging their teammates even as they pushed themselves.  Taft took 4^th through 9^th place, tying up a victory.  Varsity runners for Taft, in the order they came across the line, were Emma Nealon, Sara Iannone, Kristen Proe, Zoe Hetzner, Abby Purcell, Chels Maloney and Alanna Fogarty.

 Choate only managed one more finisher before our JV girls began their domination of that race.  Taft took places 1-5 in the jv race, a perfect score.  JV finishers were Ema Stein, Courtney Jones, Maggie Bogardus, Leah McIntosh and Kate Moreau.  Despite the hills, all of girls finished the race with solid times, 

It was a picture perfect day to run, with crisp fall air and a brilliant blue sky.  The team is much bigger than last year, but it is just as close knit, and the girls spent the moments before the race getting each other excited for the run ahead.

Taft took the early lead, with newcomer Sara Iannone showing off her track-honed speed and Emma Nealon tucking in just behind, looking strong and confident.  Porter’s top girl, Nora Weathers, settled into third for the first third of the race.   Before the last mile, Weather’s smart and conservative strategy paid off and she moved into first place, where she would eventually finish.  Nealon and Iannone, though, ran strong through the finish, both coming in just a hair over 19 minutes.  Captain Kristin Proe fought her way to fourth place, fending off a last minute challenge by Porter’s Pippa Biddle.  Abby Purcell, in similar fashion, dueled with Porter’s Emily Hannan right to the finish line, with Abby taking sixth place overall.  Newcomer Courtney Jones and four-year senior Chels Maloney also placed in the top 10 overall, and both finished in under 20 minutes.  Captain and four-year senior Zoe Hetzner rounded out the varsity team for Taft, finishing 13^th overall.

Taft also won the JV meet. Porter’s Live Blanchette took first place overall.   Alanna Fogarty, a new addition to the team, took second place with a fantastic time of 20:32.  She was closely followed by another newcomer, Leah McIntosh, who smiled the entire race.  Returner Emma Stein continues to slice minutes off of her personal record on the home course, finishing fifth overall with a time of 20:39.  Maggie Bogardus, Eleanor Hough and Alison Johnston, all first year runners, came across the line within seconds of each other and rounded out the JV scoring.

In what has become the hallmark of our team, everyone who started the race finished the race.  Veteran Kate Moreau and newcomers Liz Sangree, Hanna Dethlefs, Rachel Barnes, Katerina Rosen and Paige Rogers  all put in solid, gutsy performances.  It is a pleasure to coach girls as hard working and dedicated as these young ladies!

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