The Rhinos were struck by the blistering weather paired with Choate Rosemary Hall’s tough hill, but regardless emerged victorious against both Choate and Trinity-Pawling thanks to incredible efforts by all runners. Captain Ian Staines set the tone for Taft, leading the pack with a time of 17:53 (5:46 pace), impressive at it stands but especially so when considering his recent return from injury. Right on his heels was senior Joe Zarif, whose time of 18:36 (6:00 pace) was a mere seconds shy from his PR. He still finished second place overall, reflecting the dedication and hard work he’s been putting in since last season. Coming in third for Taft and sixth in the meet was Nate Dexter ’21 with a PR of 18:55 (6:06). The fact that Nate was able to PR despite the tough conditions makes the feat even more impressive. Mark Naguib ’20 stayed strong and resilient to the finish, shattering his PR by 59 seconds with a time of 19:13 (6:12) as he continues to discover his potential in his first season of cross country. Mark finished 4th for Taft and 7th overall. Rounding out the varsity race were Qaiden Gordon ’23, Mason Conto ’21, and Yuk Sum Chan ’21, with times and places of 19:37 (6:19) - 5th/10th, 19:43 (6:21) - 6th/11th, 19:48 (23) - 7th/12th, respectively. This race was the first race back at full strength for all three runners, all of whom are poised to have a strong season. Andrii Torchylo ’21 led the JV team with a time of 20:33 (6:37), shattering his PR from the New Haven 5k in his return from injury while placing 8th for Taft and 19th overall. Andrii is set to be a key contributor to the team as he fully recovers from his injury and continues to improve in his first cross country season. Will Roberts ’22 followed close behind, running 20:42 (6:40) and placing 9th for Taft and 20th overall. Jude Celebi ’23 - 10th/22nd and Jack Johnson ’23 - 11th/23rd rounded out the pack, with 20:53 (6:44) and 21:00 (6:46), respectively. All three of these young runners turned in strong performances and will no doubt improve as the season progresses, setting a positive outlook for the future of the team. Next up for the Rhinos were Harry Wang ’21, who ran 22:30 (7:15) for 12th/34th place, and Edward Liu ’22, with 22:51 (7:22) for 13th/36th place. These two returning runners have been setting a great example for new runners in practice, and they themselves continue to build upon their successes from last season. The final three runners for Taft were Tiger Peng ’22, Kevin Liu ’23, and Bob Wang ’23. They recorded times and places of 24:10 (7:47) - 14th/47th, 24:20 (7:50) - 15th/48th, and 31:39 (10:12) - 16th/62nd. As impressive as it is to lead a pack, it is equally impressive for any runner to give their best efforts and not give, up which these runners did exceptionally well. Today’s race was very impressive not only in terms of the results, but also by the guts and determination shown by each runner from top to bottom. With a successful first meet in the books, the Rhinos look to continue working hard as they prep to face off against Loomis Chaffee, Northfield Mount Hermon, and Hotchkiss next week. Varsity: Taft 19, TP 42 JV: Taft 15, TP 45