After a week of Olympic practices, Middlesex ended their regular season with great races in the rain and drizzle at Brooks against both host Brooks and last year's ISL champions Thayer, who arrived to their last race at the end of a second consecutive undefeated season. While the varsity did not upset the very strong Thayer team, the JV team won both contests, and the Varsity handily defeated Brooks.
The JV race got Middlesex off to a great start, as freshman Maya Sidhu passed through the race to get the win for Middlesex. She was followed closely by 3 strong JV runners from Thayer, but because of her win and the strong running of the pack behind her (Kricket Drewes in 6th, Phoebe Martin in 7th, Nina Douge in 8th, Laura Kaye in 9th), the team secured the win. Anninka Stewart (11th), Imani Marcelo (12th), and captain Alice Crow (13th) finished ahead of the Thayer fourth JV runner and the Brooks 3rd runner. Senior Sananda Chintamani and Alejandra Chavez ran PRs despite the wet conditions and hilly course.
In the varsity race, freshman Gabby Walsh again led the Middlesex team, finishing third behind strong front runners from Brooks and Thayer. The Thayer pack finished in 4th - 7th places, securing their team win, but senior captain Julia McClellan and sophomore Charlotte O'Toole finished next, in 8th and 9th places, ahead of the Brooks 2nd runner. Emily Li and Tess Kelley weren't far behind, and Wani Pandey and Katie Fujimori both finished ahead of the Brooks 3rd.
The team was helped significantly by the positivity and assistance of those teammates who traveled but didn't race as well as our dedicated manager/statistician, Valerie Chen. The team is excited to race in its last race as a whole group next Friday in the ISL championships at Groton, though it is bittersweet that the season is coming to an end.
