In a tightly-contested race for first, Captain Holden Ringer ’17 sprinted past Deerfield’s front runner on the Great Lawn, earning first place for Andover Boys Cross Country. Ringer finished with a season best time of 16:33, leading Andover to its 20-39 win over Deerfield this past Saturday. The team’s win added to its perfect record of 4-0 this the season.
Alongside Ringer’s strong finish, Nathan Goldthwaite ’18, Giacomo Marino ’18, and Alex Fleury ’20, all finished before Deerfield’s number two, who was closely followed by Jacob Buehler ’19.
Taking advantage of their knowledge of Andover’s home course, many Andover runners outstripped Deerfield’s top runners on the Great Lawn during the last stretch of the race.
Goldthwaite said, “I was really proud of the way we gave it our all. There was a moment, on the Great Lawn, where Deerfield’s number two runner was about ten seconds ahead of me. I ended up kicking past him, and after the race I found out that Alex Fleury had gotten in front of him too, just before the finish line.”
“That drive our team showed is the kind of fire we’ll bring to [Phillips Exeter Academy] next week, and then Interschols the weekend after,” continued Goldthwaite.
A number of Andover runners had strong individual performances to bolster the team win. Sam Tobin ’18 said, “Deerfield was certainly a stronger team than we were expecting, and yet we rose to the challenge. So many members of the team set personal records, which we love to see.”
“It was a great race for everyone, and especially for Sam Tobin and Sebastian Bishop, who went under 18 minutes for the first time,” said Marino.
Marino continued, “I think the performances we saw on Saturday are an indication of the all the work we have been doing so far, and it shows our readiness for the final two races.”
Securing a perfect record this season has been no easy feat, but the team’s leadership and diligence in practice have ensured a successful season.
Head Coach Jeff Domina wrote in an email to The Phillipian, “I’m honored to work with my fellow coaches, Sean Hyland, Jake Kohn, and Dan Schneider, as well as with our superb team captain, Holden Ringer ’17, and his many teammates who also bring substantial leadership to the program. In practice, we work together to build strength and speed. Many of the runners began their training way back in June, and that effort is paying off now. Week to week, we coaches design workouts informed by recent race performances and the features of the next course on which we’ll race, as well as by a sense of what the runners need to peak at the end of the season. This year our final dual meet is at Exeter, and so is Interschols, our championship. It’s a really exciting way to end a great season.”
Combining coaching and team skill, Andover hopes to add to its undefeated record with a win against Exeter this Saturday.
