Moses Brown XC had a busy week, with a showdown against some of the strongest schools in Rhode Island at the Wheeler farm on Tuesday, and the first major invitational of the season at the Ocean State Invitational on Saturday. The competition has been fierce, but the Quakers have proven themselves a resilient and tenacious team. On Tuesday, for the first time since 2012, both the boys and girls teams won against local rival Wheeler, with the girls earning their victory by only a single place! Some highlights included: Senior captain Abigail Gerrish continuing her impressive season with a 3rd place finish, leading the way for MB and finishing ahead of every Wheeler runner. Freshman runner Maddie Chang, in her first high school race, sprinting by two competitors in the final 50m to finish 11th overall. Both Ruby Howland and Elise Milner recording their fastest times of the year. The girls race was spectacular, and a testament to their growth both as individuals and as a team. Every place by every runner counts in cross country – our single-point victory truly drives that point home, and makes Maddie’s impressive kick even more exciting. With growing confidence and a host of young talent, this year may prove to be a watershed moment for our girls program.
On the boys side, hard work continues to pay off – of the 17 runners in Tuesday’s meet, 10 of them ran new personal bests. Senior captain Ben Buroker lead the way again, with fellow senior Henry Lee running his fastest time every by nearly 20 seconds to move up to 5th place on the team, holding off several Wheeler runners at the end and securing the win. Notable standouts also included several underclassmen, with freshman Thomas Speltz solidifying his spot as the team’s number 2 runner with an impressive 18th place finish, and sophomores Iain Akerman and Adrian Shirzadi finishing 3rd and 4th among MB runners while recording new personal bests. At Saturday’s Ocean State Invitational, MB had the opportunity to test our mettle against program from all over the region – schools from Massachusettes, New Hampshire, New York, and Connecticut were all in attendance, as well as top in-state competition. MB’s highlight came early in the day, when freshman Sophia Gorriaran broke away from the pack at the 2-mile mark and finished over a minute ahead of her competition, smashing the first freshman girls race in dramatic fashion. The freshman boys also enjoyed success, with Teddy Capozzi and Liam O’Malley demonstrating impressive pack running as they pushed each other to impressive finishes on the 4k course.
In the varsity races, the Quakers battled challenging hills and a crowded field, earning invaluable experience in tough conditions. One breakout performance came from Elise Milner who again set a new personal best – this time by over a minute! – despite this being her first time in such a large and competitive event.
With the regular season winding down, MB Cross Country is starting to look ahead to the class, state, and division championships happening in late October. With energy, spirit, and impressive depth, the future of Quaker cross country, both this season and for years to come, is bright.