Andover Boys Cross Country looks to sprint past the competition this fall after a rewarding and productive preseason.
The team was able to have a great time “building up mileage and bonding as a team,” said Scott Diekema ’13.
The team is under new leadership this year, with Patrick Naughter ’13 and Connor Fraser ’13 as Co-Captains.
“I think that we have great leadership this year in our captains,” said Kailash Sundaram ’15. “Both guys motivate everyone, whether its the new Junior or the varsity Senior, and they make sure that everyone enjoys cross country while working hard to meet their goal.”
The team is looking to build on last year’s season, which Naughter calls a “transitional season.”
He said, “We had some really strong runners but didn’t have a collective team that was strong enough to produce the results we wanted.”
However, for this upcoming season, Naughter believes that the team has improved significantly. “This year, the team has a lot of guys who really put in the time over the summer, and so during this upcoming season we hope to build upon that and use our strength to win meets on the way to Interschols,” said Naughter.
Ian Withall ’14 and Mike Boyle ’13 will be expected to make an immediate impact.
“You can expect Ian and Mike to lead the pack this year, and they both bring outstanding endurance, competitiveness and commitment,” said Sundaram, “Ian leads by example; he never gives up, and he is always willing to push himself to the limit to get better and be the best. On the other hand, Mike is a vocal leader, and his desire to win is so high that he will put himself through unimaginable pain to come out with a victory.”
Andover graduated 11 members of last year’s team, but Naughter doesn’t believe that will have a great effect on the team.
“With preseason over and new students and runners joining the team, I get the sense that there is a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of skill and a lot of desire in this team,” said Naughter.
Both new and younger runners will have a incredible amount of leadership, as each of the 23 returning Seniors have at least one year of experience under his belt.
“I’m really excited about having 23 Seniors on the team, as many of them have been running for three or four years and bring a certain amount of experience and leadership to our team,” said Fraser. “As a captain, the Seniors will be a big resource and source of support for me.”
Along with the great number of returners, the team is welcoming a couple of new runners, including Kevin Fung ’13, who made the switch from soccer.
“We hope his speed on the soccer field will carry over to cross country running,” said Diekema.
The team looks to capture its first victory on October 6 at Choate.
