Out of Andover’s top seven Varsity runners, only one is a Senior.
Interschols consisted of 14 teams in the Varsity race and 11 teams in the JV race. Although only one Andover runner placed in the top 20 overall, the team earned a combined score of 141 points, just three points below fourth place finisher Nobles.
According to Captain Posie Millett ’20, running at a larger meet with many teams posed a newer challenge compared to running in dual meets.
Millett said, “Because most of the [races] up to this point were dual meets, it’s been easy to see whether you’re finishing behind, or are close to an Andover girl or a girl from another team. Whereas at Interschols, we have 14 other teams that we got on the line with, so when it comes down to the results, you really don’t know who’s going to do what. It’s really much more so about the strength of your pack and the closeness of your runners than actually having your [runner] and get first place in the race.”
The terrain at NMH’s course also presented a challenge, according to Natasha Muromcew ’22.
“The course at NMH is really hilly, and it has a ton of short ups and downs, and I think that kills a lot of people. It’s also not very well kept in the sense that there’s a lot of roots and rocks that people just trip over,” said Muromcew.
Despite the larger setting and challenging course, the team felt prepared from this season’s training, according to Izzy Alvarez ’23.
Alvarez said, “Andover really came to play and put all of our season’s training out there, we were ready, it was time to show everyone our capacity and that’s exactly what we did.”
Although the team placed third, it matched well with the teams that placed first and second, according to Muromcew.
Muromcew said, “Andover matched up pretty well with the teams that beat us, [Phillips Exeter Academy] and Winsor. Winsor has this one eighth grader that got first place, and I think that’s why they beat us…I think against Exeter we’re coming in super close and I feel like next year we have a really good shot at beating them.”
Muromcew, who finished fourth overall with a time of 20:22 minutes, will be competing again this weekend in an All-Star race at St. Mark’s. The All-Star race is open by invitation only to the top 20 finishers at interschols, according to Millett.
“I want to highlight Natasha Muromcew who was fourth in the Varsity race, which was so so exciting. It was so much fun to see her get out there, and she gets invited to go to an All-Star Race next weekend at Saint Mark’s School which is for the 20 top Varsity Runners so she’ll get to go back there next weekend,” said Millett.
With the season concluded for the rest of the team, Muromcew will be the only runner representing Andover at the All-Star race this Saturday.
