Boys team earn 2nd place at Meet of Champions, qualify for New Englands

The boy’s team, led by senior Cam Dickson, ran hard to be the 2nd best team in N.H. during the Meet of Champions this past weekend.

“We’re not as packed as we would like to be,” Dickson said, “but we have a strong second half [of the race]. But Pinkerton has a strong top four. They’re all tightly packed, and could all be considered front runners.”

Those front runners led Pinkerton to the team win. However, the boys came in second, beating third place team Nashua North 105 points to 162 points.

This placing helped move the boys on to the New England meet next Saturday in Thetford, Vt.

“It was good to see them bounce back after last week [at DI’s],” coach Mr. Smith said. “We were okay last week, everyone came away a little disappointed, but they took solace in the fact they were still second, and it motivated them to do well today. I think we’re going to be one of the top ten teams in New England.”

There is even the possibility of a run at nationals, but Smith said they’ll have to wait and see for that.

“We’re taking it one week at a time,” Smith said.

The boy’s team is very strong, and according to Smith, find strength in cohesion and unity in the face of their biggest challenges.

“They lean on each other, depend on each other, and they pull each other through,” Smith said. “That’s their biggest asset.”

The team will need to lean on each other next week, as they face some of the best teams representing schools ranging from Maine to Connecticut.

“Thetford’s a hard course,” junior Declan Hotter said, “but we’re prepared. Hills are our favorite thing.”

Girls cross country place 8th in DI’s, 11th at Meet of Champions

Even with all the highlights from the last two meets, for the senior girls XC runners, these moments are bittersweet.

“There are a lot of memories,” senior Courtney Guay said. “My favorite is probably just the summer training, and getting up early and being together even though we didn’t want to. That was kind of special. It made us work together.”

The end of the season is a mix of emotions for both captains, as the team met their goal by placing 8th in DI’s and advancing to the Meet of Champions, but there is an underlying thought of what might have been.

“I think we all raced it all out,” senior captain Maddy McKivergan said. “I can’t say who had the best race and I know some people aren’t happy with their races, but I think everyone did their best. We may not be the fastest team, but I think we put it all out there. I wasn’t sure we were going to make it to Meet of Champs. But to be able to say that we pulled it out, it was nice to know.”

Despite some missed opportunities and steady room for improvement, the season ended considerably well for the team, according to Guay.

“Our main goal of the season was to make it to Meet of Champs, and we did that,” Guay said. “I’m happy, but I think we could have placed better. We have a lot of talent; we just never discovered how to use it. That’s the worst part. I’m looking forward to indoor and outdoor track to work together. We could have a really strong team there.”

Guay said the team hopes to do even better next year and “make it to New England’s.” But for now, the team is at a crossroads, losing many of its standout seniors next year and facing a rebuilding offseason.

“We’re still trying to define [our strengths],” said girl’s coach Mr. Burgess. “Hopefully next year we’ll figure that out.”

Despite the daunting prospect of rebuilding, the senior captains remain optimistic that the girl’s team is left in good hands.

“I don’t know how the team is going to do,” McKivergan said. “I think Jill, Alex, Lizy, Kalin and Little Kaelyn will all improve a lot. I think everyone’s just going to mature and get a lot better.”

How is cross country scored?

The first 5 runners from each team earn points that match with their place. (The first runner gets one point, etc.) The lowest score wins the race.

The runners who place at the 6 and 7 position also run in the race to make sure other teams don’t place in higher positions. These runners also break ties and place if someone else on their team is injured during the run.

Every team gets to run in their Division Championship races, and 8 teams from every division get to move on.

The next race after the Division Championship race is the Meet of Champions, which features those top 8 teams from every division. The 6 best teams in that race move on to the New England’s race, which is against the 6 best teams from every other state in the area.

Nike Cross Regionals can be independently entered after that by individuals or by a team, and while there aren’t any requirements to enter, only the best would consider signing up, in hopes of qualifying for Nike Cross Nationals.