A wet, gray day greeted the competitors at this year’s edition of the Peter Brush Invitational, a preseason cross country event designed to promote the participation, sportsmanship, and camaraderie that Peter Brush advanced in his four decades as Deerfield’s cross country coach. Rather than divide by varsity and junior varsity at this early stage of the season, athletes race according to their age: 11th and 12th graders compete at the 5K distance and younger runners cover a 2-mile course. The racing this year was spirited and fun, and everyone present enjoyed an apple and a hamburger afterwards. On the whole, a great start to the season!
The boys collected two 3rd place finishes—Hudson McGuinness in the 9th/10th race and Thomas Lyons in the 11th/12th race. McGuinness ran bravely in his first race for Deerfield, leading the way for most of the 2 mile run. Lyons ran as he always does—wisely—and finished with a tremendous kick to capture 3rd. At the shorter distance, sophomores Trey Souder and Quinn Hampson both ran well to take 4th and 5th places, followed by newcomer Joe Brown, who finished 9th overall. The 5K race featured a number of veteran Deerfield runners, all working their way back into racing shape: Charlie Lewis ’21 finished 6th, Mat Panikar ’21 took 9th, and co-captains Jake Meier ’20 and Chris Thagard ’20 finished 13th and 20th.
Deerfield’s varsity sevens will travel to the Canterbury School in New Milford, Conn., next weekend for the Canterbury Invitational. Always a competitive meet, the invitational will feature dozens of schools from around the Northeast.
Results:
Boys 9th/10th Race (2 miles)
Hudson McGuinness 3rd 11:39
Trey Souder 4th 11:58
Quinn Hampson 5th 12:17
Joe Brown 9th 12:57
Giles Gordon 11th 13:02
Chase Cherewatti 12th 13:15
Oscar Patton 15th 13:50
Jackson Collins 21st 14:10
Finn Brouder 36th 15:23
Boys 11th/12th Race (5K)
Thomas Lyons 3rd 18:06
Charlie Lewis 6th 18:40
Mat Panikar 9th 19:30
Jake Meier 13th 19:57
Chris Thagard 20th 21:09
Daniel Kang 24th 22:19
Jack de Bruyn Kops 27th 22:39