Sophie Han ‘27
Nov 8, 2024
Last Saturday, the girls and boys cross country teams competed in their respective MAPL championship races on Mercersburg’s home course, delivering impressive performances.
“We are very excited for the girls team,” captains Anne Sehon ’25 and Linden Wallace ’25 said prior to the race. “It’s understandable how nerve-wracking it can all be with us talking about this meet every day, but we are both very proud of what the team has done, and we look forward to what we are capable of this weekend.” Madeline Chu ’27 added, “Our captains and teammates have always made the team a big family to everyone, and although that sounds cliché, it really is a team of hard-working student-athletes.”
Gabriella Cechini ’28 shared her preparations in the days leading to the meet. “Coach Cunningham and Coach Bright helped and coached us to learn so many things throughout this season, such as running hills and positively competing.” Ella Blanco ’26 added, “Besides tapering a bit more, we reinforced normalcy — treating this championship mentally and physically like any other meet we have done.” Christopher Bright, the assistant coach of the girls team, emphasized, “We want them to feel that this meet is not much different than any other meet.”
On the boys’ side, team captain Winston Watkins ’25 expressed confidence in his team’s abilities. “From the four years of experience I have had until now, I can say from our performances throughout the season that this is the best team we ever had. We are very excited and prepared for MAPLs this weekend.”
Indeed, the boys team was hard at work. “We have been practicing a lot of hard sets and speed work, “said Joseph Cechini ’28. “But the great thing is that this meet is hosted at home, so we are already very familiar with its courses.” Assistant coach Rich Heffron noted, “Due to some scheduling adjustments, we have had two more weeks for structuring and conditioning than in previous years. This gave us the perfect time for our team to rest and get ready to run fast.”
Imangali Zhakan ’26 said, “I know we will all be trying our best collectively to win this race, not just for each other but also for our coaches.” Meanwhile, Ryan Du Plessis ’25 offered a different perspective. “We all want to win, and while our team is undeniably looking exceptional this year, there’s no doubt that Lawrenceville and The Hill School are both looking great, too. That said, I think our goal is to try our best, run personal records, and have fun.”
When race day ended, the varsity girls team had claimed first place, with Gabriella Cechini securing the individual gold. The varsity boys team came in second, finishing merely three points behind the Lawrenceville School, with Joseph Cechini placing second overall.
Reflecting on their victory, girls team head coach Betsy Cunningham said, “It is the second time the girls cross country team has won since we joined the MAPL. It’s so exciting and such a tribute to the leadership by Anne Sehon and Linden Wallace of this team. This is such a wonderful team in so many ways and winning the MAPL felt like a wonderful validation to the hard work done each day by this team.”
Boys team head coach David Grady described his mixed feelings. “I was really hoping the boys would pull it off because they have worked so hard throughout the season to be ready for this race. However, it’s hard to be disappointed when every runner went out and had a great race. For each runner to have their best race is precisely what you want to do in your league championship. ”