Westover Hosts New England Division III Cross Country Championships
Members of the Varsity and JV Cross Country Team: (from left) front row – Addis Fouché-Channer ’13, Hannah Hudson ’14; second row – Olivia Burns ’14, Arianna Moniodes ’14, Olivia Spadola ’13, Emily Potts ’14, Kira Hunter ’14; third row – Assistant Coach Liz McErlean, Andie Dahl ’14, Tais Marin ’15, Ana Cabo Sanchez ’15, Julia Davis ’14, Isabella Yu ’15, Sophia Davis ’16, and Coach Kate Seyboth; missing from photo: Sofie Valdes ’16 and Ana Sanchez ’15.
Westover played host to the New England Prep School Track Association’s Division III Cross Country Championships on Saturday, November 10th, under sunny skies but with challenging wet and muddy course conditions. Three days earlier, an early season winter storm had blanketed the Westover campus – and the five-kilometer course – under several inches of snow. It is believed that Westover was the first single-sex school to host the championship. With the help of more than 40 volunteers drawn from Westover’s faculty, staff, and parents, approximately 500 runners representing 23 schools from throughout New England competed in four races: girls’ varsity, boys’ varsity, girls’ junior varsity, and boys’ junior varsity. Kate Seyboth, Westover’s Cross Country coach and the event’s chief organizer at the School, said the event drew more than 800 people – between runners, coaches, officials, volunteers, and spectators – to Westover’s campus. Middlesex’s runners dominated the competition, with its teams finishing first in all four categories. “It was incredibly rewarding to be able to host such a significant event on campus and have it run so smoothly,” Kate said. “Our volunteers were amazing; we couldn’t have done this without them. Special thanks to our Athletic Director Tiz Mulligan and Assistant Athletic Director Ann LeClerc for all the work they did to make this event such a success.” Westover’s team came in 5th place among 22 teams in the varsity race and 5th place among 10 teams in the JV race. Hannah Hudson ’14 was Westover’s top finisher, placing 14th overall.