At a four-team meet, hosted by Rye Country Day at Edith Read Sanctuary on October 15, both Hopkins School and Greens Farms Academy beat the host team and Holy Child.

By Melanie Cane

At a four-team meet, hosted by Rye Country Day at Edith Read Sanctuary on October 15, both Hopkins School and Greens Farms Academy beat the host team and Holy Child. Despite the loss, Wildcats Coach Ethan White, was pleased with how his runners performed. Captains Malcolm Nash and Acacia Dougan placed first for the Wildcats in their respective races, with Nash finishing 8th in the Boys’ race in a time of 18:39, and Dougan placing 14th in the Girls’ race at 22:46. The other standouts were Ben Arquit, Hunter Chun, and Ed Abrams for the Boys, and Elena Kim, Sarah Vumbacco, and Ryoko Umemoto for the Girls.

Holy Child Coach Mike Simon said that while a few girls had personal bests, “the times for that course were slow.” Anna Liddy, their speediest runner, finished in 22:05.

Both the Wildcats and Gryphons have been plagued by injuries this season. Holy Child’s number two runner, freshman Hannah Cleary, hurt her calf early in the season and has not competed since, and several of Rye Country Day’s top runners have been injured. All these injuries depressed both teams’ records overall. 

In terms of individual improvement, Coach White said the Wildcats are doing very well. “We’re seeing many personal record times, and our camaraderie is stronger than ever.”

Coach Simon was happy to report that all his runners have gotten better and better. “But the championship meet will be the deciding factor as to how much we’ve improved.”

Both teams have one more regular season race before the FAA Championship  November 3 in New Haven, and NYSAIS November 9 at Van Cortlandt Park.