10/10 – Andover: 16, Choate: 46
Girls Cross Country defeated Choate 16-46 last Saturday in its first dual meet, which was a 5-Kilometer race. Andover’s runners held the top four spots. Five runners set personal bests. Among the top performers were Captain Corinne Spade ’27, who not only won the race by 40 seconds but also earned a personal best in 19:24; Hannah Jung ’28,who placed second in 20:04; Sophie Stetson ’29, who placed third in 20:10; and Maddie Marshall ’29, who placed fourth in 20:16.
The hilly, challenging course posed a threat to many teams. But with practice at Andover’s own hilly course, the team was familiar with strategies to combat the tough course. Kareena Kapoor ’29 described Choate’s 5-Kilometer circuit.
“The course was pretty easy at the start, but the second mile was difficult because it had a really big hill, similar to one of the hills on our course. Our team felt a little more prepared for that, which was good. We also ran the course about 30 minutes before the meet and did our normal dynamic warm-ups. The course was pretty flat for the first mile, and then the second mile had a really big, torturous hill. After the hill, it was downhill for a while, followed by one more small uphill and another half mile of straight downhill,” said Kapoor.
Andover’s preparations for the intimidating hill along the Choate course was key, helping the team gain confidence leading into the race. Additionally, support from the boys team pushed the runners through challenging moments. Sophia Schneeweiss ’29 explained how she found a sense of confidence going into the challenging hill from that support.
“Water Tower Hill was the hardest part, but our girls team jogged up the hill during warm-ups, so it was nice to see it before the race. When we ran it, the boys were lined up at the top cheering us on, which made one of the hardest parts of the course feel empowering and motivating. When you reached the top of Water Tower Hill, you had already completed two miles. Knowing the rest of the course would be easier and mostly downhill helped me feel like I could run faster afterward,” said Schneeweiss.
At this meet, five runners set personal bests, and the team finished with seven runners in the top ten. Jung highlighted Spade’s and Marshall’s performances against Choate.
“Corinne, our Captain, had a really good race and she hit her personal best. I’m really proud of her for that. It was our first smaller meet of the season, and she did this on a course that’s not as familiar to us. She did a really good job of leading the race and finishing strong. Also, Maddie [Marshall ’29] did really well. She was really strong throughout the race, and I stuck with her for the first mile, and I’m really grateful to her for giving me that great pace to follow,” said Jung.
This season, Girls Cross Country finished third against a competitive field at the Black Bear Invitational. Jung highlighted how the team has bonded and how their mindfulness has contributed to its high level of performance and success.
“I really like the atmosphere and community we have going on in Girls Cross Country and Andover Cross Country overall. We have a tradition that we do before every meet, where we meet on the steps of [Samuel Phillips Hall], and we sometimes like to gather and do some mindfulness. Even on the race day before we run, me and my friends just sit on a bench and we all close our eyes and meditate for five minutes, thinking about the race and visualizing the toughest parts. That really helped me get over a mental block,” said Jung.
The team will compete again on Saturday in its only home meet of the season against St. Paul’s, Austin Preparatory School (Austin Prep), Northfield Mount Hermon (NMH), and Dexter Southfield (Southfield) during Family Weekend.
