Co-Captain Robert Budzinski ’26 claimed first place at Andover’s first home meet of the season.
Boys Cross Country cruised past Choate on Saturday in its first home meet of the season. Runners battled on Andover’s 5-Kilometer course, with Co-Captain Robert Budzinski ’26 leading the team to victory, finishing first overall with a time of 17:04. Rounding out Andover’s top five were Charlie Gillick ’27 (17:14), Henry Zimmerman ’27 (17:23), Cameron Butler ’28 (18:21), and Alfonso Gonzalez-Cano ’27 (18:24). The numerous personal records across grade levels bode well for the remainder of the season and the future of the program.
With temperatures reaching an unseasonably warm 81°F at the height of the meet, runners emphasized preparation, rest, and hydration as key to success. Newcomer Alessandro Reverdito ’29, who ran a time of 19:49, discussed his routine leading up to race day.
“With Cross Country [taking place] in the fall, the conditions are usually pretty cool, so the hardest part was dealing with the heat. The two nights before the meet, the main thing I did was get as much sleep as I could and stay hydrated. I had lots of carbs the night before, stretched a bunch, and warmed up with the group,” said Reverdito.
Despite the difficult conditions, the team’s energy remained high leading up to the meet. Nicholas Jung ’28, who set a personal record of 20:29, described a pre-race ritual that helped strengthen the team’s mentality and focus.
“Around two hours before a race, some of the BXC [Boys Cross Country] boys grouped together, and we closed our eyes and imagined the course and said that we were running for each other. We were thinking about finishing the last mile for a specific person. These words of encouragement really increased the team spirit,” said Jung.
In preparation for the meet, practices intensified as the team trained strategically on familiar terrain. Gonzalez-Cano explained how the team incorporated challenging workouts and course-specific drills to sharpen both endurance and race awareness.
“The week before, we had a pretty strong hill workout at Boston Hill. Pretty rough, but it gave us some real confidence heading into it. We also practiced sections of the home course, making sure we ran the least distance while staying on the course. All of that works together in tandem to really give us some compass heading into it,” said Gonzalez-Cano.
Gonzalez-Cano also highlighted the teamwork that carried over from practice to competition, emphasizing how teammates paced and motivated each other throughout the race.
“Usually, just running alongside another guy is enough because you’re pacing off of them. If he starts pushing a little bit more, then you start pushing a little bit more — it’s a symbiotic relationship. Cameron and Aaron [Blanchard ’28] were pushing hard together on Heartbreak Hill, and that really pushed me to stay with them. I was dying at that point, but seeing them run side by side pushed me to finish strong. That teamwork was happening all across the race. Everyone had someone to pace with, and that really helped us get such a strong result,” said Gonzalez-Cano.
Boys Cross Country will continue its season away at St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire, this Saturday.
