This season, Head Coach Patrick Rielly took on the position of Head Coach for both Andover Boys and Girls Cross Country. One of his guiding principles as a coach is the importance of support, also noting that progress manifests differently in different athletes.
Rielly said, “We’ve been talking a lot about going ‘from good to great’ this year. The runners put in the work this summer to have a great season, and they’re focused and hungry for success this fall. I do my best to support all of our athletes to stay healthy, get stronger, and find success in the sport. Success looks different for everyone, and we celebrate that on our team.”
Since both programs combined have 82 athletes, Rielly is tasked with unifying one of the largest teams at Andover. Zoe Von Eckartsberg ’26 highlights Rielly’s effort in unifying the athletes.
“Two years ago [Boys Cross Country and Girls Cross Country] were separate and last year was the first year that him and Coach [Keri] Lambert decided to merge the teams. I think that even though we practiced together, they were still pretty separate environments. There wasn’t a lot of crossover between the boys team and the girls team, and especially this year since Coach Lambert is out, he’s really been trying to make it one team,” said Eckartsberg.
Mario Calvo ’24 acknowledged Rielly’s strides in opening cross country to students of all levels, while bringing them together as a single community.
Calvo said, “Coach Rielly, to me, is the epitome of a ‘people’s runner,’ someone who does not portray distance running as a sport for the elite few, but rather as a team sport where anybody can be successful. At the beginning of practice, he will address the team by highlighting the day’s plan for every level of experience, demonstrating that no matter what your times may be, you will be doing something to make [yourself] better every day.”
Lily Williamson ’25 highlighted Rielly’s creative methods he employs to help his athletes improve both physically and mentally. Williamson added that this year, Rielly reads poems before practices to motivate and push each athlete.
Williamson said, “Almost every single day so far, throughout practice or at the beginning of practice, he would read us a poem and have [us] visualize and close our eyes and picture whatever the theme of the poem was for that day. So when it’s raining, he gives a poem about running in the rain and how to value that. And I think those are really fun moments at the beginning of practice.”
According to Calvo, Rielly prioritizes the safety and wellness of athletes over anything else. He also prioritizes instilling confidence into each of his runners before meets by providing concrete strategies.
“He will do everything in his power to make sure that every runner is safe and accounted for during a long trail run, and that every runner has their own plan of attack to run the best race they possibly can, come meet day. I greatly admire Coach Rielly, and look forward to working with him throughout my senior season of Cross Country as well as the upcoming Track [and Field] seasons,” said Calvo.
Calvo noted that Rielly is both a motivational force on the team and also a friendly face. Rielly is able to break down distance running to its foundation, eliminating any intimidation a runner may experience.
“Rielly is not only someone who knows how to motivate his runners during practices but also someone who pushes you to dig deep during a tough race. Furthermore, Coach Rielly is approachable and talks about distance running in a way that makes it simple, attainable, something that anyone with hard work, can be a successful distance runner,” said Calvo.
When asked about his favorite part of coaching, Rielly shared his appreciation for the connections formed between the team. He emphasized the bonds that can be formed through runs.
Rielly said, “There’s really nothing better than getting out for long runs on the trails and paths of Andover in the fall. You always learn something new about the person with whom you’re running after ten miles together.”
