The Deerfield harriers took on arch rival Choate and Loomis Chaffee today in relatively tropical Windsor, CT, with temperatures seeming to reach 80 at times and a humid stickiness that made for wonderful spectator weather but not optimal racing conditions. Despite the challenging climate though, Deerfield and their two rivals turned in stand-up performances across the board. Resting some team members, the participating Deerfield girls took up the slack with a brave attack of the Loomis course, hammering out at the start in a dress rehearsal for a fast New England Championship race in November. The three lead girls spirited the runners through the mile in 5:40, weaving in and out of the Loomis campus, through playing fields, over artificial turf, through woodland lots, skirting ponds and swampland, negotiating the path for Loomis’ ropes course, skirting a tennis court and dodging a musical but errant ice cream truck, and finally making the twisting plunge to the lower field for the finish. With Erin Hudson, Noelle Abeyta, and Victoria Patterson on the vanguard, Deerfield white and green speckled the front of the pack, with the other varsity and JV girls following in kind, and bringing home a much deserved victory for the Big Green. Finishing first was Patterson, followed by Abeyta in 2nd and Hudson in 3rd. After the front trio came a string of Deerfielders, including Sarah Jane O’Connor 6th, Esme Benjamin 7th, Helen Downes 8th, Nora Markey 10th, Grace Russell 11th, Erin Howe 15th, Gemma Bishop 16th, Sofi Sintes 21st, Naila Barnes 34th, Acy Cai 35th, Jasmine Ramos 43rd, and Jerilyn Zheng 47th. It was a great day in the sun and another step closer to the championship race. Join the Big Green Harriers next week as they host defending New England Champions Phillips Exeter, October 21st at 3:30.