Girls’ XC Prepares for Andover

The Big Red girls’ cross country team ran well this past Saturday during the Mayor’s Cup in Boston, Massachusetts. Coming in an astonishing first place, the girls are confident and prepared to battle their rivals, Andover, next Saturday.Several teams competed in the Mayor’s Cup, which is an annual five-kilometer race presented by the Boston Athletic Association and Adidas.This Saturday, during their week off, they will spend the remainder of this week and the entirety of next week training, visualizing and gearing up for their tilt in gloomy Andover, Massachusetts. Senior and co-captain Elsa Chinburg spoke about their upcoming battle.“I’ve said this before, but we don’t like them and they don’t like us. Some of us are going to have to run the fastest we have ever run in a few weeks,” Chinburg said. “I think we all have the right mentality going into next week and we are very prepared to take on a strong Andover team.”The Mayor’s Cup was just a stepping stone in the girls’ cross country schedule to get them to where they want to be. They have had an amazing season and, being undefeated, have no issue with racing Andover in a short amount of time.“We have been training right and eating well,” senior Michaela Morris said. “Staying focused is key for the next few weeks. I am ready to finally beat them because they have won for the past three years. I want to blow through Andover and quickly move onto Interschols.”Practices have been getting harder, ice baths have been getting longer, and the wait is getting shorter. But the mentality has stayed the same. The eager and ready girls will continue their unbeaten record into Andover and that will pretty much wrap up the season.“Being a new member of the team, I can’t really appreciate our rivalry with Andover yet, but I can see it in some of the girls’ eyes,” senior Courtney Henrich said. “They are set on beating them and frankly I don’t blame them. Its great being a part of a team that is so dedicated and focused.  It’s amazing.”