Boys' Cross Country Dominates NMH Invitationals with First Place

Exeter’s boys’ cross country faced a surprisingly strenuous course and an impressive list of competition at the Northfield Mount Hermon Invitational on Saturday, but Big Red’s strength of character and stunning skill granted them yet another victory in a neck and neck race this weekend.Five teams—Andover Academy, Northfield Mount Hermon, Kimball Union Academy, Loomis Chaffee, and Exeter—all attended the annual Invitational; but it was Exeter that took home the bacon, narrowly defeating second place Andover, one of Exeter’s biggest competitors, by five points.“Northfield Mount Hermon has an incredibly challenging course, and when you throw in a large collection of teams all trying to prove their dominance on the trails early in the season, you are going to get a challenging race,” senior Quincy Tichenor said. “Exeter has relied on its depth and the chutzpah of its runners for years, and that truly showed during this race.”Senior Kenny Berger was just as impressed by the favorable outcome, considering the many factors that played into the result.“Varsity came out with the win, continuing our three year undefeated streak, which is excellent considering the outcome of the race could be pretty indicative of how interschols will go,” Berger said. “We did well, in the sense that the team got the job done, however the blistering heat and hilly course prevented any personal records for team members.”Recovering from the tough race on Saturday, Big Red is now approaching the halfway point of their season with key races at Deerfield Academy and the Mayor’s Cup in Boston. After, they will face off against Andover one last time during E/A and head to the New England Championships at Hotchkiss, where Exeter hopes to win their fourth title in a row. Consequently, the team has spent this week assessing their race plans and improving their practices so that the runners can perform their best in the coming weeks.“The team is currently in the process of reevaluating our immediate race strategies, however we're sure to continue with our program's hallmark pack running,” Berger said.Tichenor also touched upon Exeter’s distinctive characteristic of finishing as a group.“We have got to get our spread down so we all finish closer together and we have just got to keep our mental game strong,” Tichenor said. “It all comes down to how much pain you're willing to take and how much you're willing to give to that man next to you.”No matter the improvements Big Red makes in the coming weeks, the runners already possess a sense of determination and grit unparalleled by other academies, and those elements are sure to play positive role in their upcoming races.“We practice hard together and push each other hard during races and that's how we keep winning--by pushing each other forward and working as a team,” Tichenor said. “But we are not afraid to take risks and push ourselves. In the end we came out on top, and that is why we prevail: we embrace the pain.”Exeter will face off next at Northfield Mount Hermon on October 11th. The race will be tough, but Big Red runners will be tougher.