Pulling ahead of Northfield Mount Hermon’s (NMH) top runner in the final stretch of the race, Giacomo Marino ’18 crossed the finish line first, with a time of 17:09 minutes, four full seconds before NMH’s number one runner.
Fast performances from many Andover Boys Cross Country runners allowed the team to secure a 23-35 victory, bringing its season record to 3-0.
The team is especially pleased with its victory, according to Ethan Brown ’17, as it raced without its captain Holden Ringer ’17.
Brown said, “Even though [Ringer] wasn’t running, we are proud to have finished the meet successfully. The team braved a wet Northfield Mount Hermon course in cold weather.”
Head Coach Jeffrey Domina said, “[Ringer] didn’t run on Saturday. Some of the other runners may have been motivated to rise up to account for his absence.”
Andover’s fortitude was demonstrated by breakthrough races from Sam Tobin ’18 and Alex Fleury ’20, who secured fifth and sixth places, respectively, and clocked in side by side with a time of 18:11 minutes – only a single second behind NMH’s number two runner.
Despite NMH’s grueling course and poor weather conditions, the team had a strong day overall. Jacob Buehler ’19 secured a third-place finish with a time of 17:52 minutes. Nathan Goldthwaite ’18, Spencer Davis ’18, and Basil Alfaro ’18, also turned in strong performances, finishing with times of 18:25, 18:29, and 18:45 minutes, respectively.
With the win against NMH under its belt, Andover plans to focus on the end of its season.
Coach Domina said, “As we prepare for the Exeter and Interschols meets, we need to manage our sleep, stay focused on our training, tighten up our pack, and shift from higher volume to greater intensity.”
Because the runners have built up endurance in the first half of the season, the transition from an aerobic base-building phase in their training to a more high-volume phase will allow them to run at a faster pace, while still being able to close out races strong.
Andover will buckle down for a week of training before a home meet against Deerfield.
