10/26 – Andover: 41, St. Pauls: 47, Deerfield: 116, Exeter: 33
On Saturday, Girls Cross Country competed in a quad meet against St. Paul’s, Phillips Exeter Academy (Exeter), and Deerfield. Surrounded by parents and fans, the team came out on top over St. Paul’s (41-47) and Deerfield (41-116), but were unable to beat Exeter (41-33). Placing second, the team looks forward to another battle against Exeter in the annual Andover/Exeter (A/E) next weekend.
Preparation for this meet centered around teamwork and collaboration within all forms of training. Ibu Hada ’25, new to the team, reflected on how these training methods have allowed the team to develop tremendously.
“We practice as a team, even though we have two or three different teams based on levels of speed. We also group up and talk about how we can improve as athletes, sometimes with our coach, [Head] Coach [Keri] Lambert. Sometimes we do visualization, which is like meditation with more specific goals of how we can do good and how we can achieve the goals that we have,” said Hada.
Surrounded by teammates and families, the runners showcased their strong team spirit throughout all their races, which was also emphasized by Lambert. Tasha Bohorad ’26 recalled standout performances from Katerina Kokottos ’25 and Abby Oden ’26 as a display of the united strategy and culture of the team.
“I saw Katerina and Abby Oden sprinting, beating Exeter girls to the line, and that’s what they were working on. A lot of people had that fire in their eyes. Coach Lambert talked to us before the race and said ‘We need to get every jersey out there.’ I’d say that’s a big team moment, really trying to catch those jerseys, and instead of just finishing for yourself, finishing for the team and trying to score those team points,” said Bohorad.
Co-Captain Emma Hagstrom ’25 made her Senior debut after a long battle with an injury that prevented her from competing in races earlier this season. Bohorad acknowledged how Hagstrom’s perseverance despite the challenge greatly inspired her teammates.
“She hasn’t raced all season because of injuries, and I know she was nervous. Even with that, she was very positive before the race. She gave it her best, and that’s all you can ask for. That’s what a Captain should do,” said Bohorad.
Being held on Family Weekend, the meet brought many family members and faculty, especially thanks to an annual practice with both the team and family members preceding the meet. Hada mentioned how the support from spectators provided her and others with motivation, a spirit that unified the entire community.
“My House Counselor came to see me and I was so happy; I saw her two or three times. She made me smile a lot during the race even though I was out of breath. There were also so many friends and families that were cheering on us, it was really lovely to see them. Also, the day before the race we had family weekend practice, meaning that family members can run together with us, and some people did 5k with us. Even though my family didn’t come I was able to see our teammates caring about their families and it was really nice to see. It was also nice to see different aspects of our teammates as well,” said Hada.
With the noteworthy A/E race on the horizon, Bohorad acknowledged how this meet was a great opportunity for the team to warm up and prepare for the end of the season. The final meet, Interscholastics, will take place on November 9, and the team hopes to put its best foot forward to finish its season with a bang.
Bohorad said, “We have our A/E race coming up, so this was a good warm up even though they beat us. It is going to be very exciting. It’s also our second to last race before Interscholastics, where not everyone goes, so we’re just looking to PR and do our best before Interscholastics. When we do Interscholastics, we’re trying to peak then.”
Girls Cross Country will compete at Exeter on Saturday.
