The torrential downpours and slippery terrain did not prevent the Andover Girls Varsity Cross Country team from sweeping Choate on Saturday. On its home course, Andover prevailed with a perfect score of 15-50, taking the top seven places. Moreover, nineteen runners ran below the twenty-five minute mark, and several competed in their first race of the season. Lingering fatigue from this past week’s workout failed to break the team’s stride. Brianna Jordan ’09 and Abigail Levene ’09 ran exhilarating races. Both finished within just tenths of a second of each other, with Jordan narrowly edging out Levene. Captain Katie Faulkner ’06 finished third with a time of 20:31, followed by Jen Downing ’08 with a time of 20:51. Not far behind, Katherine Adams ’06 crossed the line with a time of 21:07 and Sara Ho ’08 just one second after with 21:08. Rounding out the top seven was Beryl Dewdney ’09 with a time of 21:18. Andover trained through this meet, viewing the race as more of a workout than an all-out competition. Coach Lang’s goal is to increase the team’s stamina so that they are well prepared for Interschols. Consequently, the team has been pushing itself to its maximum at every practice. The previous week’s practice totaled just under twenty-five miles, and that was with a cancellation from rain. Because of the intensive training, many runners approached the line fatigued and the times were, as a whole, slower than last week. However, eleven runners finished the race with seasonal bests, and thirteen girls ran under the twenty-three minute mark. Sarah Dowd ’06, in one of the most impressive performances of the day, dropped two minutes and 45 seconds off her best time to finish eleventh in 21:34. Despite the unfavorable conditions, a general feeling of excitement and anticipation hovered over the team before the race. Adams commented, “I thought it was going to be fun because we were like warriors. I mean, the rain’s coming down, the course is slippery, and it’s basically a survival of the fittest.” Anne Elder ’09, who obtained a personal best, agreed, commenting, “I thought it was a lot of fun running in the rain because the coolness of the rain made you feel better as you went.” Andover’s course is demanding in the best of times, but Saturday’s conditions brought the difficulty up to a whole new level. The Great Lawn was swampy and slippery, making footing tough at the start and finish of the race. The sanctuary proved difficult as well because of puddles that interrupted the flow of course, and the hill leading up to the log cabin was particularly tricky for athletes because of the combination of slippery slopes and rocky terrain. Andover is used to running on its course, but the conditions on Saturday slowed the team down significantly. Hopefully, some of Andover’s runners that have been in the shadows thus far due to injuries will be able to participate in Saturday’s race against Brooks. After last week’s shutout, Andover eagerly anticipates this weekend’s race at Brooks, where it is prepared to dominate once again.
