Boys' Cross Country Wins Yet Again
WALLINGFORD, CT - On a bright and breezy Saturday, boys’ cross country came out of the gates swinging, finishing with five runners in the top six at their first race, the Choate Invitational. Big Red’s top four runners finished in 1st through 4th place overall, with senior Tyler Courville in the lead, followed by Sam Gray ‘14, Holden Hammontree ’15 and TJ Hodges ‘14. Additionally, lower Quincy Tichenor finished in 6th place.Choate Rosemary Hall hosted seven schools including Exeter. The invitational was divided into two races: a boys’ “veterans’” race, for runners who had already participated in a season of cross country, and a boys’ “novice” race, for new runners. Along with the stunning success in the veterans’ race, the team also did quite well in the novice competition, with several top finishers.“This was an amazing race to start the season with,” Hodges said. “Finishing five guys in the top six is almost unheard of, and displaying the depth we have beyond that was really great.”Upper Randal Hernandez agreed, citing improvement over an already successful race last season. “This is even a step up from last year, where we had four people finish in the top six.”Hodges was quick to note that this was more than just an ordinary win. “Besides leaving Choate victorious, Exeter cross country made a big statement to the entire league on Saturday. We made it clear that we are prepared, equipped, and hungry for another championship at the end of the season.”Glancing into the future, it seems the team is set up to undergo another great season. “I think that Exeter is looking just as competitive and as fast as we were in the last couple of years,” Hodges said. “Just like any other season, we have our eyes on a championship, and we’ll do everything to get ourselves to that point.”Hernandez came to a similar conclusion. “In terms of the future, we are headed in a very good direction,” he said.Along with the incredible win, some runners agreed that a few things could be tweaked. “We could improve our conditioning during practices as well as overall team cohesion,” upper Louie Feingold said. Likewise, Hodges thought the team could improve by “running harder and pushing each other in each race and workout.”All in all, Big Red started the season with a stellar victory and has many more to come. The team is excited for their next race, which is away at St. Paul’s next Wednesday. Exeter will have their work cut out for them, since St. Paul’s is a team that has proven to be a worthy competitor on the trails.