Anya Budzinski ’26, Chloe Song ’26, and Zoe von Eckartsberg ’26 pace
themselves throughout the race.
10/11- Andover: 29, St. Paul: 26
10/11- Andover: 40, Austin Prep: 19
Girls Cross Country had an exciting meet on Friday afternoon, beating St. Paul’s by three points and Austin Prep by 21 points on its home course. The high-energy, supportive environment pushed athletes to give their absolute best, resulting in various personal records (PRs). Zoe von Eckartsberg ’26 led the pack, coming in first place overall, with Chloe Song ’26 finishing close behind in third place.
Instead of the usual Saturday meet, the team competed on Friday afternoon due to the special Wednesday schedule on Friday. Tasha Bohorad ’26 highlighted that despite this change, the team was able to handle their races impressively with focus and determination.
“The meet went really well overall, and we had a bunch of PRs. We’re not used to having meets or workouts on Fridays, but everyone handled the quick turnaround after classes like pros. I could see that some people were a bit nervous, but they were focused as we lined up. Cross country is one of the most supportive sports out there, and you could see that yesterday with every team. Everyone congratulated both teammates and opponents,” said Bohorad.
Furthermore, Bohorad emphasized the importance of mental preparation. Despite how difficult it is to remain entirely concentrated throughout the duration of a race, the team implemented meditation techniques to help them stay in a clear headspace.
“This year, we’ve focused a lot more on the mental side of running. We practice meditation techniques before races, which helps a lot. We talk about locking in our focus, which doesn’t happen every time, but it’s something we keep working on together,” said Bohorad.
Katerina Kokkotos ’25 highlighted von Eckartsberg and Emma Hong ’28’s notable performances, praising von Eckartsberg’s PR and Hong’s motivating presence.
“Two individuals that stood out were Zoe von Eckartsburg and Emma Hong. Zoe set a huge PR. She’s such a strong person and teammate, and I could not be prouder of her. I’d never run with Emma before, and having her in my sightline the entire race was very motivating. We worked off of each other from the [Cochran Bird] Sanctuary,” said Kokkotos.
The team’s strength was evident in its unity and teamwork. Sophie Staii ’25 shared how she was able to feed off of the energy of multiple of her teammates including Hong and Ela Budzinski ’28, demonstrating the team’s ability to create collaboration within a seemingly individual sport.
“One of our biggest strengths is feeling the power of the team. I’ve run races with different teammates each time, and we work off each other’s energy. This week, I started with Ela Budzinski but finished with Emma Hong. It really shows the depth of our team and how important it is to work together, even in an individual sport like this,” Staii said.
Daisy Lopez ’26 mentioned how the team was able to combat the difficult parts of the course by keeping its head up and thinking positively. This allowed the team to focus on pace rather than fixating on the challenges.
“The meet was a beautiful mixture of loud supportive noise and also silence. When we began the first bit of the course, there was cheering and yelling that helped give a good start, and as we entered the Sanctuary, it felt like everything went quiet. On our course, there is a really challenging moment called ‘Heartbreak Hill,’ and it’s a steep hill that challenges every runner. Everyone was really supportive which helped everyone get through that. The energy gave us that time and space to lock in and concentrate on our pace,” said Lopez.
The camaraderie and perseverance displayed by the team contributed greatly to its ability to achieve success. Looking forward, Staii acknowledged the team’s plan to focus on increasing volume and strong finishes.
“Our next meet will be on [Family] Weekend, so for the next few weeks we will be working on continuing to increase our running time during practice as well as having strong finishes. This will make sure that we are ready against any adversity we face.There are some students who are starting to run six days a week now, so I can definitely expect a lot of PRs, a strong ending to our season,” said Staii.
On October 26, the team will compete against Northfield Mount Hermon, Deerfield Academy, Phillips Exeter Academy, and St. Paul’s at home.
