On a quintessential fall day, the women of Deerfield cross country matched up against a perennially strong Andover squad. As calls and whistles from surrounding games echoed around the lower levels, the girls valiantly attacked their home course with admirable toughness.
Arriving sandwiched between blue jerseys, Sarah Jane O’Connor (’18) led the green and white in a time of 20:26. O’Connor’s resilience in the final loop of the course set the standard for the next Deerfield runners, who hammered through the toughest parts of the race with maturity and resilience. Freshman Lily Shudha (’19) posted a season-best time of 21:27, followed immediately by Helen Downes (’18) in 21:43 and Roopa Venkatraman (’18) just seven seconds behind. With a cutthroat sprint in the final 100 yards, Margot Genereux (’17), only recently returned from injury, muscled past two Andover runners to a 21:59 finish, wowing the crowd and showing her mettle as she looks forward to the New England Championships.
The next two Deerfield runners, captain Isla Forster (’16) and seasoned runner Madisen Siegel (’17), finished the race in 22:18 and 22:31, respectively, rounding out Deerfield’s scoring runners. Lily Horowitch (’17) and Cassie DeShong (’17) continued to improve on previous race times, and Anna Berger (’16), Gillian O’Connor (’17), Adeliza Grace (’18), Annabel Nottebohm (’17), and Julia Angkeow (’18) rounded out the team performance.
The rapidly-maturing group celebrates convincing developments in race composure, speed, and (perhaps most importantly) mental endurance through the hardest parts of the race. Young talents look forward to next weekend’s challenge at Northfield Mount Hermon. From there, they head to the New England Championships prepared to reclaim some Big Green Glory!