As the Andover Boys Cross Country team neared the end of the course during the Choate Invitational, its runners were able to gain speed on the downhill, passing by a number of opponents.
While Saturday’s meet was unscored, the Choate Invitational gave the team a chance to get comfortable running and prepare for the official start of the season, while also getting a sense of its competition.
Captain Giacomo Marino ’18 said, “The unscored meet at Choate helped us learn about the course we are going to return to at the end of the season for Interschols. We ran it three times: a full course warm up, a race, then a full course cool down.”
Discovering the pitfalls of the course will allow the team to be effectively prepared at the end of the season and the championship race.
“When we talk strategy at the end of the season leading into the championship, many of our runners will know and remember the parts of the course that are very important to our success. It also gave us a glimpse of how other teams are doing, but meet this far out from the end of the season doesn’t tell us a whole lot,” continued Marino.
The meet also gave a good reference point for the team after its preseason training. After losing only one senior runner from last season, the team is made up of strong, experienced runners. In addition, several returning athletes have improved from last season, according to Marino.
Marino said, “We only graduated one senior from our varsity seven last year that placed second in the championship, so our team is looking very strong. A lot of guys have improved from last year especially Harrison Wilson [’20] and Spencer Davis [’18].”
Andover’s success at the Choate Invitational shows promise of another successful season, according to Marino.
Marino said, “I’m excited to see how our team develops over the course of the season. I think most of us as individuals have a lot of room to grow and I’m hoping to see that all come together as one of the strongest Andover cross country teams we’ve seen in awhile.”
Next Saturday, Andover will race at the Northfield Mount Hermon (NMH) Invitational.
