Boys’ XC to Defend Title

For Exeter’s favorite lanky, long-legged, rowdy, close-knit, bordering on cult-like boys’ cross country team, the 2017-2018 season began as soon as they claimed the NEPSTA D1 title at Interschols.

Its past season was an exceptional one, with Exeter beating the majority of teams by a large margin. The team ended the last two weeks of its season with E/A, clinching a close victory over Andover, followed by Interschols, where it once again proved it is one of New England’s fastest. However, the back-to-back victories did not get to their heads. The boys continued to face each race afterwards with the same fervor and determination.

After their seven-man varsity team, comprised entirely of seniors, won Interschols, it served as a send-off for the graduating class; it was a climax to the season. But, many realized that they would be losing an enormous amount of talent. Upper Charlie Neuhaus commented on last year’s senior class, saying, “The leadership of our senior class was really powerful for me.  They really brought the team together, introduced the new people to the team’s traditions, and were good examples for aspiring younger athletes.” Despite their loss, the boys are more than ready to step up to the challenge. “We are definitely going to prove ourselves after losing all of our varsity runners,” upper and co-captain John Martel said.

In preparation for the season, the coaches divide the runners into two groups for the summer, assigning them workouts, lifts and mileage to complete each day. Rest is also included, of course. But perhaps the most beneficial part of their summer preparation is the online log that each member of the team is required to keep. “The logs help everyone stay in touch and give us an easy way to motivate each other. In the logs, we not only record our training, but also our emotional and physical status,” Martel explained. For the older runners, logs from previous years aid them in tracking their improvement.

Without a doubt, improvement is necessary. Much of their competition lost few to none of their varsity members whereas Exeter is racing with kids who have had little to no varsity experience. But, a good number of the team members, invested themselves in distance winter and spring track in order to prepare. A notable figure who will be a top varsity runner is lower Will Coogan, for whom captain Martel has high hopes. Incoming preps Connor Chen and Varun Oberai are also expected to add some depth to the team.

As for competition, Neuhaus put it simply, saying, “The biggest threats this year are Loomis  [Chaffee] and Andover. They performed very well last year and aren’t losing many of their top runners.” Especially looking towards Interschols, the pressure to meet up to the team’s results is very high. However, Upper Joseph Walewski expressed his belief in the team’s ability to win. “The expectation is we run our fastest, and with such a deep and established program the result is usually winning the championships.”

This year, boys’ cross country is being led by upper John Martel and senior Grayson Derossi. In the past week, the boys spent their time at Waterville Valley practicing.