Michael Frasco ’12 dominated once again in Boys Cross Country’s race on Saturday, finishing first with a time of 17:04 on a challenging NMH course.
“I tried to jump out to a fast start in an attempt to drop the main pack and scare anyone from chasing after me,” said Frasco. “After I felt I was far enough ahead, I just relaxed, cruised back to the finish line and tried not to trip on any roots or slip on the numerous bridges.”
Overall, Andover finished third out of five teams, a disappointing result for a team coming off an undefeated season. Loomis triumphed over Andover by 24 points, and NMH placed second, beating Andover by seven points.
Coach Jeffrey Domina said, “They [NMH and Loomis] ran the better races for sure. It wasn’t our best [race], and I have no doubt we’ll race better in the weeks ahead.” “We need to tighten up as a pack and move it forward.”
With harsh weather and an unfamiliar course, Andover felt uncomfortable about the race from the start. Even Frasco was initially concerned, stating, “I got the sense from talking to [other team members] and Kelsey [Jamieson ’12] that the course was really difficult, with short, steep, rolling hills on slow grass. It was going to be even worse in the rain. We got to the course, and [it] was soaked.”
Another contributing factor in Andover’s performance was the loss of Captain James Hamilton ’12, unable to race due to injury. Without his veteran leadership, the team relied on its newcomers. Along with Frasco, Julien Blouin ’12 and Paul McGovern ’15 both placed in Andover’s top five, finishing 11th and 19th overall, respectively.
Rounding out Andover’s top five were returners Matt Fischetti ’14 and Kian Ivey ’12 with times of 18:49 and 19:02, respectively.
Though the result was disappointing, the team is keeping its head up. “Almost all of our remaining races are [at] home on a course that we all feel very confident about,” said Frasco. “It’s a lot easier to race when you know exactly where each hill ends and where to start your kick.” Domina said, “We’ve got work to do, but it’s work we can do.”
Andover looks to bounce back in its next race against Choate this Sunday.
