November 5th, 2016 – Deerfield Cross Country hosts Northfield Mount Hermon
Deerfield Cross Country’s final dual meet of the season saw the return to racing for several athletes who had missed some time due to injury. The weather and conditions greeted them and their teammates favorably; it was a cool, dry day on Deerfield’s lower levels. The racing didn’t disappoint, as Deerfield’s guests for the day, Northfield Mount Hermon, won a very close meet, 28-31.
In his final home race for the Big Green, co-captain Hughes Benjamin led off the 5k race at a torrid pace, immediately separating himself from the field of varsity runners. Benjamin never relinquished that lead, ultimately winning the race in a lifetime best time. Finally back at 100% and free to race aggressively, Ricardo Gonzalez ’19 and Will McNamara ’18 were close behind Benjamin, finishing just behind NMH’s top runner in 3rd and 4th place, respectively. Gonzalez managed his second PR in as many weeks, forecasting a great finish to the season for him next week. JJ Siritantikorn ’19 finally made it back to racing, too, finishing 12th overall after a controlled effort over the course of the 3.1-mile course. Marco Marsans ’18, Chris Thagard ’20, and Neil Nie ’19 rounded out Deerfield’s top seven, highlighted by another personal best for Nie.
Donnie Sparks ’18 led the way for Deerfield in the JV race, which was won by two younger athletes from Eaglebrook School. Alex Kaminsky ’17 and Will Sanford ’17 both earned new PR’s for their effort, finishing 21st and 23rd overall. The rest of Deerfield’s JV squad ran confidently on their home course, with a slew of PR’s coming in across the bottom third of the Big Green’s depth chart.
Next weekend, Deerfield travels to Phillips Exeter for the NEPSTA Cross Country Championships. Racing begins at 1:30.