By Suie Choi ’20, Sports Editor

Despite being placed in the most competitive American SEC division for the third year in a row, the cross country team is off to, yet again, another successful season. The men’s and women’s teams have respective records of 2-4 and 7-0 and have had many notable accomplishments.

One of the main highlights for the men’s team is finishing in first place in the NA Invitational, arguably the biggest meet of the season so far, for the third year in a row. The NA Invitational was a 5K home course race against seven other schools. The top seven NA runners had an average time of 18:05 and all seven of them placed within the first 15 finishers. The women’s team is currently undefeated. When asked about why she is proudest of the team, Molly Cantillon ‘21, a third-year varsity runner, says: “Everyone has put in their biggest effort not only in practice but also in races. Even our youngest team members have stepped up to run on varsity and played crucial roles to help us beat other teams.” This hard work is clearly evident through the team’s most recent average time of 23:08, which is 14 seconds faster than last year’s team average at the same time in the season. 

The talent coming from the underclassmen is integral to the team’s success. When asked about the new team dynamic after gaining multiple runners, co-captain Jackson Powers ‘20 says,“We’ve had a large influx of new freshmen, including Pierce Malloy ‘23 and Ethan Polen ‘23, who have gotten the spirit really quickly, and have all shown willingness to work hard.”  Freshmen are important to a sports team because they provide the future of the program. 

Close camaraderie and strong value for teamwork has also been a major component of NA cross country success. When asked about his favorite aspect of the team, co-captain Warren Sunada-Wong ‘20 discusses the close-knit dynamics: “The cross country team is very tight-knit: our annual preseason trip to New Hampshire helps us become better teammates and friends. We have healthy competition in races, but ultimately we are very supportive of each other.” Molly Cantillon ‘21 adds: “I think the cross country team’s camaraderie is one of the strongest at NA. We all push each other through tough workouts and races.” The team chemistry fosters friendly competitiveness and creates a strong support system, an element that has made cross country one of the more successful sports teams this fall.

Unlike other group sports where individual athletes can lead their team to success, cross country is one of the few sports where victory is dependent on the amalgamation of every individual performance. These athletes condition hard together, play hard together, and fight hard together to proudly represent Newark Academy. So, I encourage you all to cheer on and support the NA cross country runners as they, hopefully, become repeating Prep B and Non-Public B State Champions.