The boys' varsity cross-country team maintained their winning streak with decisive wins over St. Mark's, Thayer, and BB&N on Friday over some hilly terrain in Southborough. This course had been the site of last year's disappointing loss to St. Mark's in the ISL Championship race, so the return was fraught with significance for the veteran runners.
Once again, Viraj Deokar '16 motored across the finish line in the record-setting time of 15:50, breaking the previous course record of 15:59, held by Ian Whitthall of Phillips Academy. Challenged briefly by St. Mark's' standout Liam Monheim, Viraj smoothly accelerated to the front of the pack and stayed there for the duration. As fast as he was in that race, it's hard not to think that he still has another gear because his stride is so even, his exertion so apparently effortless.
But one runner does not deliver a victory. Third and fourth positions were secured by Lucas Estrada '15 and Gavin Fujimori '16, whose sub-17:00 times resulted in new personal speed records for both of them. Similarly, Will Fletcher '16 and Miles Petrie '15, at 7th and 8th, responded to the St. Mark's challenge with outstanding performances. The team scored 23 points against St. Mark's 34.
The team also benefited from an impressive race from #6-man Gabe Smith. Though Gabe's finishing place did not factor in the Middlesex scoring, it did affect the scores of the opposing teams by displacing several runners. Gabe's power in that position will be especially valuable in the Championship races, where the scoring is done by a simple total of places against the whole field, rather than in the one-on-one scoring of dual meets.
The JV team also had a strong day, though in the end they were overwhelmed by formidable competition from St. Mark's. Matt Kafker '15 was, once again, our leader, finishing second in the race by virtue of a powerful closing kick, and Matt McKenna '15 kept our hopes alive with a similarly powerful surge to the finish line, gaining 4th place. Some hip soreness forced #3Rock Hoffman '16 to drop out of the race just after the first mile, yet Ryan A. Ewing '16, stepped up impressively, taking 9th overall. Harper Robins '17 and Jack Pelletier '17 finished close together in 21th & 22th places, but the gap between Ewing and our next runners was too wide for a win. That gap was plugged by a handful of St. Mark's contenders.
We also saw some admirable races from some of our newest runners, particularly Luke Collins '18, who dropped 1:46 from his previous best time, finishing 26th in a field of 57 runners.
