Cross Country, Girls: Varsity vs. Westminster Invitational

Event Details

girls-xcountry_westminster-invitational_team-pic_10-1-16Every great dramatic book or action movie has a moment where the protagonist is down and out, and there seems no way for them to turn things around. It is precisely at this moment, by fortitude, dedication, and force of will, that the individual, against all odds, rises to the occasion and triumphs. It is a defining moment for the character and exemplifies their greatness, as it does for any team. After two championships, followed by two rebuilding years, the Deerfield girls’ cross country squad is rising to the occasion and against all odds is looking once again like a powerhouse team. Our fleet of relatively inexperienced 9th and 10th graders from last year are now our veteran 10th and 11th grade core of strength, and have now been added to by standout 9th graders. Working through our growing pains, the team is patient, focused, and entirely focused on the New England Championships (Choate Day) in November. Finishing second Saturday by only one point to a strong Suffield team, the girls rocked a complete set of outstanding performances at the Miller Invitational. Indeed, every girl on the team surpassed expectations. Led over the challenging hilly Westminster School course by 9th grader Jane Mallach (4th in 21:52) who bolted to a leading position from the starting gun, the Big Green immediately adopted a commanding presence in the field of six teams. Mallach battled almost the entire course with Westminster’s top runner, only losing contact the last kilometer, but finishing strong. Following Mallach in the varsity race were Sarah Jane O’Connor 6th 22:21, Lilly Shuhda 8th 22:26, Carolyn Melvin 23:04, Helen Downes 14th 23:21, Ely Burke 18th 23:36, and Roopa Venkatraman finishing 19th in 23:39.girls-xcountry_westminster-invitational Missing from the varsity roster were standouts 9th grader Victoria Patterson, 11th grader Nora Markey, and 11th grader Erin Hudson. They will all return in our next meet against rivals Choate and Loomis. In the junior varsity race the girls decimated the field, finishing five in the top ten. Ninth grader Erin Howe 23:07 crushed the competition with a time that would have placed her in the top 15 of the varsity race. She was followed by Sofi Sintes 2nd 23:42, Esme Benjamin 4th 24:09, Captain Hannah Swinnerton 7th 24:52, Captain Madisen Siegel 9th 25:05, Gemma Bishop 13th 26:09, Katie Morse 14th 26:32, Nafi Sall 15th 26:48, Penelope Hough 19th 27:04, Annu Fu 20th 27:06, Cassie Deshong 22nd, Nikki Pelletier 25th, and Fernanda Ponce 34th. The girls have this coming weekend off in preparation to rock the house down in Wallingford, CT the following weekend.

For complete results visit: http://www.webscorer.com/Westminster