Despite missing top runner Kate Bulger ’11, Andover beat Exeter 24-31 this past week, gaining momentum heading into Saturday’s Interschols. In Bulger’s absence, the second and third runners, Caitlin Kingston ’11 and Katie Ellinger ’12 had strong showings for Andover. Ellinger and Kingston began the race with a fast start on the uphill portion of the course, reaching the mile marker in 6:11. At the Log Cabin, where the course began a long downhill, Ellinger began to pull ahead. She went on to win the race in 19:36, marking her first finish in under 20 minutes. Kingston finished second in 20:00. Behind Kingston, Kelsey Jamieson ’12 finished in 20:16. Jamieson had never run competitively before this season, but has steadily moved her way up the ladder. “My first goal of the season was just to get below 30 minutes, but I think I finished the first race in 23:46. After that, I just tried to put in a good effort, and my times came down pretty quickly,” said Jamieson. Tavie Abell ’10 finished 8th in 20:50, nearly side by side with Alex Morrow ’12. Soon after, Captain Caroline Gezon ’10 finished 12th in 21:25, and Jess Siemer ’10 finished in 14th, at 21:49. The JV team also won their race, 23 to 35. Kristen Faulkner ’11 won in 21:00, her season’s best. Faulkner was unable to run last year due to an injury, and has only recently started racing again. The next runners to finish for PA exemplified team running at its best; Emily Kent ’11, Julia Smachlo ’13, Claire Harmange ’11, Katie Fanikos ’11, Molly Levene ’12, Rachel Wittenburg ’13, and Alessandra Powell ’11 all finished between 21:56 and 22:27, with only two Exeter runners breaking up their pack. Captain Gezon said, “Our team is so deep, and the strength of the JV pack is a huge factor in our success. The sight of a wave of blue running together in a group strengthens the Andover runners and intimidates the competition.” This wave of blue has been a tradition at Interschols. For the past four years, Andover has won both the Varsity and Junior Varsity races with ease. “Our team is looking very strong and united for Interschols this weekend,” said Gezon. She continued, “The toughest competition looks like it will be St. Paul’s for us, but we also have to watch out for Exeter, Deerfield, and some of the schools that we haven’t raced at all this season.” The Seventeen who girls will travel to NMH for Interschols will be split into three groups: a Varsity comprised of the top seven runners, a JV comprised of the next seven, and three alternates, who will run in the JV race, but not count towards the team’s score unless another runner drops out. With its past success, Andover hopes to continue its winning tradition at Interschols on Saturday.
