10/12/19 – Deerfield XC vs. Loomis Chaffee & Choate Rosemary Hall @ Loomis
Deerfield cross country’s string of away meets concluded with a short trip south to Loomis Chaffee on Saturday for a battle with the host Pelicans and Deerfield’s archrival, Choate Rosemary Hall. Gray, blustery conditions greeted Deerfield’s harriers when they arrived in Connecticut, but the day’s weather gradually improved over the course of the meet. By the time all the athletes were cooling down and stretching, sunshine warmed their backs and blue skies ushered them back onto the buses to return home. Deerfield’s girls team headed home with two wins under their belts, defeating Loomis and Choate convincingly, while the boys team earned a close victory over Choate despite losing to a dominant Loomis squad.
The girls race featured the return to racing for Deerfield’s tri-captain and defending New England individual champion, Victoria Patterson. Patterson had been recovering from an injury but returned to form on Saturday, surging to the lead at the start of the race and never looking back. Her comeback will be a boon to the Big Green’s chances at the New England championships next month. Classmates Noelle Abeyta and Ali Thomas ran aggressive, tough races to follow Patterson in 4th and 6th place, overall, followed by Jane Mallach and Jean Jin to round out Deerfield’s scoring five for the day. Every girl who raced ran her season-best time, a testament to the hard training they have been putting in and a great sign for the second half of the competitive season ahead.
On the boys’ side, Loomis Chaffee asserted their control of the race almost immediately, ultimately capturing the top four spots overall. Thomas Lyons ’21 was Deerfield’s first finisher, battling hard over the last quarter-mile to capture 5th place in a season-best time. Hudson McGuinness ’23 came next, finishing 6th after running his most aggressive race to date and working hard to stay on Lyons’ heels. Trey Souder ’22 was less than ten seconds behind McGuinness, earning his best time of the season in the process of capturing 8th place. After a short gap, Charlie Lewis ’21 and co-captain Jake Meier ’20 crossed the line to complete the top five for the Big Green and secure the victory against Choate. In the JV ranks, Chase Cherewatti ’22, Oscar Patton ’23, and Morgan Haisman ’23 ran particularly impressive races, earning significant personal bests in the process.
Deerfield’s harriers finally return to the friendly confines of the Lower Levels for a two-meet homestand starting next week with a dual meet against Phillips Exeter.