Two minutes ahead of the second place runner and with the finish line in sight, Anoush Shehadeh ’15 shattered her own record on the Andover course by four seconds with a time of 17:37 on Saturday against Choate. Four days later, she beat another record on St. Paul’s course by 27 seconds.
“I’m in much better shape than I was last year at this point and I’ve been working a lot on the little things like strength work and stretching. Overall, I’m just a year older, faster and stronger,” said Shehadeh.
In addition to cross country practices with the girls team, Shehadeh took on morning runs through the Sanctuary in preparation for her races. On Monday and Tuesday, Shehadeh practiced with the Boys Cross Country team, completing the difficult Boston Hill workout, which spans five hills and nine miles.
Against Choate on Saturday, Andover Girls Cross Country swept all top three positions en route to an overwhelming victory. The girls then knocked off Exeter and St. Paul’s at a Wednesday meet on St. Paul’s course.
In the race against Choate, 21 runners improved their times from the previous meet and all 26 racers finished the course. Overall, the team won 19-46. The score was particularly impressive, as the team was only four points off the maximum attainable score, 15-50.
Following Shehadeh’s first place finish, Peyton McGovern ’16 completed the course in a time of 19:59. Qiqi Ren ’15 then finished the course in 20:49, closely followed by Sharon Platt ’15 and Sofia Barbosa ’16, with times of 21:28 and 21:29, respectively. Campbell Howe ’14 and Alana Gudinas ’16 rounded out Andover’s top seven with identical times of 21:42.
On Wednesday at St. Paul’s, Andover overwhelmingly beat Exeter 20-37, but barely inched past St. Paul’s with 27-28.
“For one, there was a lot more pressure today because we raced Exeter as well as St. Paul’s, but both courses were beautiful and fun to run on,” said Gudinas.
The course served as good practice for Andover, as the New England Prepatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Division I Cross Country Championships will be held at St. Paul’s on November 9.
Looking forward, Andover will look to utilize its team chemistry to maintain its undefeated record. “The team chemistry is fantastic. Everyone is pumped and psyched for practice,” wrote Captain Graydon Tope ’14 in an e-mail to The Phillipian.
Andover’s energy in practice will prove useful in grueling hill workouts, speed training on the track and long-distance runs to increase endurance.
Andover will also use its ten-day waiting period to rest and recover in hopes of continuing its undefeated streak against Northfield Mount Hermon in its next race on October 19.
