Boys Cross Country concluded its season by placing fifth at Taft’s annual NEPSTA Division I Cross Country Championships (Interschols). Leading the team was Charlie Gillick ’27, who took 15th place with a time of 17:12. Co-Captain Robert Budzinski ’26 followed just five seconds later for 19th place. Rounding out the team’s top five were Henry Zimmerman ’27 (17:50), Cameron Butler ’28 (18:10), and Aaron Blanchard ’28 (18:24).
The team left early in the morning for the three-hour drive to Taft, home of the most demanding course of the season. The course, notorious for its steep, exposed hills and valleys, combined with wet, harsh conditions, presented a challenge for all runners. Blanchard shared his experience racing at the meet.
“It was a really challenging course. One of the hardest courses we’ve run. There are two brutal laps. The second lap was killer for a lot of people when you knew you had to go back up that grueling hill. It was mentally taxing for many people. We all went into it slightly prepared, but the conditions were different from what we expected. There was a lot of standing water on the course. Going into the finish, my shoes were so flooded with water,” said Blanchard.
These poor conditions heavily affected all the runners, including Gillick, who faced a setback that jeopardized his race. Despite the fall, Gillick still earned All-New England honors. Budzinski described this hitch, while praising Gillick for his performance.
“Charlie Gillick, who was the first finisher for our team, showed a lot of resilience in the race. He fell early on in the second mile and had to claw his way back. It’s really tough to fall in the biggest race of the season, so if you fall, it’s a hard thing to come back from. He worked his way up throughout the race, finished All-New England, and was the first finisher for our team. He ended up passing me at the end and having a really good sprint at the line, passing a couple of runners and getting every last point for the team, even when not everything went as planned,” said Budzinski.
Reflecting on the season after the culminating race, Boys Cross Country celebrated remarkable growth across its roster. Budzinski highlighted the efforts of Cameron Butler ’28, whose steady improvement was evident in his performance at this year’s Interschols compared to last season.
“I would like to shout out Cam Butler. He had a solid race, but more generally, in his evolution of him this season, improved from the 18th man last year to 4th [this year]. His improvement over the last year, the way he’s really stuck with it and improved to become a critical scorer for us. We would not have been the team we were this year without him,” said Budzinski.
While the season began with uncertainty, having to rebuild after the graduation of the class of ’25, the team saw the emergence and development of several promising young runners. Sebastian Vermut ’27 echoed this optimism, expressing excitement for the steps that the team will take in the future.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing how this really young core of runners progresses. Of the varsity seven, only two are leaving, and of the five that scored, Robert Budzinski is the only senior who’s leaving. We have a lot of familiar faces to build upon our previous success. We’ve got many ’27s and ’28s who are going to train throughout the summer and have a great season, and many ’29s who were the X-factor this season, making a big difference. Those guys are only going to get stronger from here. I’m looking forward to next year and even the years after that. I’m excited to see where this team goes,” said Vermut.
The team closes out its season strong, appreciative of a great year, but with its eyes set on the future.
