Saturday’s weather may have been fierce, but the Girls Cross Country team proved fiercer. Tropical storm Hanna brought heavy rain during the Phillips Andover Cross Country Invitational, turning dirt to ankle-deep patches of mud and soaking all of the runners. This didn’t stop the team from achieving its goal, though: before the race, Coach Nancy Lang made it clear that “every one our girls should finish with a smile.” And the girls did just that; everyone from the winner of the varsity race, Abby Levene ’09, to first time racers, were pleased with their performances. Jordan Miller-Surrat ’12 watched Levene finish the race. Miller-Surrat said, “She was in the zone. She looked so happy afterwards, though!” Levene finished the race in 19:10, over 30 seconds faster than the next finisher. Despite the severe weather, many girls ran a personal record. Shannon Adams ’12 beat her previous personal best by a whole minute. “I was so surprised when I saw the clock!” said Adams. “I really had no idea how well I had run.” Adams finished the JV in 3rd place, with a time of 22:24. Captain Berol Dewdney ’09 ran strong and infused her strength in the other girls as soon as she finished. Katie Benvenuti ’12, a spectator, said, “The whole time that people were finishing, she was cheering them on. She gave hugs to everybody!” This warm, happy attitude helped finishing girls give that extra kick to finish the race. Adams said, “Berol cheered me while I was finishing. She gave me the energy to sprint to the finish line.” Every single girl who started the race was able to finish it, a rare feat. In most meets, at least a few girls have to stop running partway through the race. During the team meeting on Monday, Coach Lang told the team how proud she was, and how this was such an amazing accomplishment. The team was successful in scoring, too. Although the team scores of the meet were not officially counted, Andover girls took six of the top ten spots in both the Varsity and JV races, a definitive victory. Seeing so many Andover girls receiving medals was a proud moment for many runners and parents. Medals were given to the top 10 girls in each race. This added to the relaxed atmosphere of the entire meet. This relaxed atmosphere was helpful to many of the girls on the team, especially since for many of them, it was their first high school race. “I was pretty nervous for the race,” said Adams. “It turned out that it was really just a lot of fun!” The meet was successful for all involved; whether scores, atmosphere or happiness determine success, all runners were satisfied.
