Girls' Cross Country vs New England Tournament

Score/Result: 8th of 14

Our last meet of the season took place at what was arguably the most picturesque setting.  We travelled to Northwest Park in Windsor CT for the NEPSTA division 1 championship.  There we set up our campsite near a rustic barn in which donkeys brayed and sheep baaed.  After an unbelievably fast boys’ varsity race the Taft girls’ varsity squad lined up alongside 13 other teams, one more than last year with the addition of Winsor School.  As the gun went off, a huge crowd of girls surged across an open field in a rainbow of school colors.  The very flat course meant a very fast start, with Shehadeh from Andover and Glass from Hotchkiss soon taking charge.  A sea of green, Deerfield’s top five girls, gave chase for a few miles, but could not catch them.  Taft’s own Dana Biddle and Sara Iannone worked their way up to the front pack and held on, ultimately finishing 11^th and 12^th, thus earning All Star status and an entry in to next week’s New England All Star race in Boston.  Behind them, freshman Maggie Swomley was once more our number three, and once more finished with a sweet smile that belied the immense effort she put into the race.  Rounding out our varsity squad were Elizabeth Shea, who took well over a minute off of her time from last week, Livvy Barnett, Colleen Iannone and Caroline Manly.   All ran smart, gutsy races and all took full advantage of the flat course by equaling or bettering their best mile times from the rest of the season.

JV also ran a great race, placing fourth of 13 teams.  Rashi Narayan set off at a brisk pace, determined to hang with the front pack.  Though an 800 specialist during track, she mustered the endurance to remain near the front, ultimately finishing 15^th overall.  Charlotte Massucci, staging a remarkable comeback after a nagging injury, was not far behind in 30^th and was virtually tied with Courtney Jones in 31^st.  Bella Ordway and Amanda Roberts were only three runners behind them, once more demonstrating terrific teamwork.  Rounding out our JV squad were Paige Whittemore, Rebecca Bendheim, Sam Douek, Maddie Olmstead, Naomi Muniz, Becky Frank and Josie Danziger.  All of these young women did what they set out to do: they ran as hard as they could for three miles and they finished strong and smiling.

It has been a terrific season and it is bittersweet to see if end.  We look forward to next season as we try to build on the success of this year.