Over 30 runners from Andover competed at the St. Paul’s quad meet this past Saturday, placing second with 45 points. Traversing rocky paths and wooded trails, the 5-kilometer course ended on a grassy field, challenging the runners with diverse terrain. Nine Andover athletes placed among the top 20 finishers, posting times ranging from around 16 and a half minutes to just over 18.
The team modeled its Friday psych on Steve Prefontaine, an iconic runner known for his relentless racing style. In 1972, his fans attended races wearing shirts that read “Stop Pre,” joking that he was too fast for the competition. Similarly, Boys Cross Country wrote “stop” with a team member’s name on their shirts for their psych photo. Co-Captain Robert Budzinski ’26 explained how this psych encouraged runners to embrace Prefontaine’s unrelenting spirit.
“Before the race, we did our team model. I talked to the guys about embracing the gift of being able to run. That got some people fired up because we did our Prefontaine psych, with his famous quote, ‘To give anything but your best is to sacrifice the gift.’ A lot of people were fired up to work really hard, and that showed because we had a lot of people PR-ing and running some pretty gutsy races — going out faster than they ever had and surprising themselves by being able to hold it,” said Budzinski.
After the first mile marker, Andover Cross Country alumnus Max Langhorst ’25 stood along the course, cheering his former teammates on. Henry Zimmerman ’27 described how Langhorst’s surprise appearance galvanized the team during a challenging section.
“When you get to that point where it starts feeling pretty hard, that extra bit of encouragement right before we went up the hill into the woods loop… I don’t want to speculate, but I’d say the impact of Max’s presence probably took a couple of minutes off our collective times. It was amazing to have a teammate who’s home from college come to a meet and cheer us on,” said Zimmerman.
The boys’ race started about ten minutes after the girls’. Each team paused warm-ups or cool-downs to cheer for their peers. Aaron Blanchard ’28 described this element of team culture that emphasizes support in competition.
“I love the team spirit. The boys team showed up for the girls team, and when we could, the girls did the same. I remember every corner, every hill, every straightaway — there was a member of the girls team there to cheer us on,” said Blanchard.
With roots and rocks lining the course, the final mile proved especially challenging. Blanchard highlighted the efforts of Alfonso Gonzalez-Cano ’27, who, despite a fall, still finished in eighteenth place.
“I’m gonna give a shout-out to Alfonso because he took a tumble down a hill and still got up and kept going. I remember he looked pretty beat up at the end, but he stayed strong and finished that race,” said Blanchard.
Budzinski noted that mid-season training has focused on consistency and intensity. The team’s recent workouts have helped runners start races more confidently at faster paces.
“The two weeks before, we started doing faster pieces in training — some hill reps. We actually got on the track for the first time, and when the course would open up, I could feel myself just being more comfortable running faster,” said Budzinski.
Zimmerman reflected on the team’s growth this season, with many runners setting personal records. The flatter terrain of the St. Paul’s course allowed younger athletes to showcase their progress.
“We saw a lot of young guys really improve their times by significant amounts. That reflects the amount of work they’ve put into their training,” said Zimmerman.
Boys Cross Country will race against Phillips Exeter Academy on November 1.
