By Matthew Cowen ’13, Staff Writer

The Newark Academy varsity cross country team is having a banner season. Participation is at an all-time high, and the results of both the boys and girls teams have been outstanding. The boys are 16-2 and the girls 12-5, as of mid-October. The athletes’ success can be attributed to the culture of the program, and the camaraderie that has been formed among the runners.

Each runner believes in the power of humor, especially junior Ryan McDonnell. McDonnell, in his first year with the cross country team, enjoys the fact that, “the culture is sort of humorous, but motivated within the top nine or ten guys- it’s fun, but competitive.” This type of internal competition is what fuels a successful team. “We come to practice to get better,” says McDonnell. “We all have our individual goals, but in the race, it comes down to focusing on beating one more guy- it’s a team effort, and we support each other.” It is said that things go around in cycles, and for cross country at Newark Academy, the current cycle is arguably at a peak.

Winning is breeding greater participation, which in turn is boosting the results of the program. What brings new runners to the team, and why are they attracted to NA cross country? “It’s sort of like a cult,” junior Joe DeNoon adds. “I think the huge growth we experienced is because of the humor and camaraderie. With this growth came new talent, and caused our team to do very well for itself.” Several Minutemen have run admirably this season, but a few standout.

Junior Caroline Willian has been a powerhouse for the ladies team. Recently she placed 3^rd in the conference at the SEC Championships. For the boys, Chris Roser has been the anchor of the team all season, consistently leading the Minutemen, while fostering the competitive nature of the program. Each runner strives to be the best on the team. Despite their competitiveness, the runners genuinely enjoy each other’s company –which is great given the amount of time they do spend together, running day in and day out. DeNoon speaks for the team when he says that “humor brings us together, because the only way to deal with something as physically tiring as running is to laugh at it. We’re a team not because we play the same sport, but because we’re all in pain together, which makes everyone respect each other.”

The girls are no different. The pain is sometimes difficult to bear, but the group always turns it into a positive. Junior Nicole Andrzejewski believes that “our good sense of humor and support of each other helps us get through every hard run, which makes us so close.”  Coaches Jon Olesky ’74, Mrs. Susan Olesky, Ms Candice Powell, and their team have certainly performed exceptionally thus far in the season. But with the most important races still to come, the Minutemen remain focused and motivated.

McDonnell vows to finish strong:“We focus on working right now to get better, and if we can continue to improve, the end of the season holds great things in store for our team.” And with the way things are going for Newark Academy varsity cross country team, the future is looking bright.