The zebra dazzles of Middlesex and Groton matched up on the scenic and soggy Groton home course on a beautiful fall day on the eve of long weekends for both schools.  The Middlesex 1st 7 and 2nd 7 each came up with a win, defeating a strong Groton pack that was leading in the varsity contest until the last half mile of the race. The team thus feels both very proud and very fortunate to be undefeated heading into a long weekend.  We look forward to a short week of training before facing defending ISL champs (and also undefeated) Nobles at home on Parents Weekend next Saturday. 

Maud McCole took over the lead from the Groton front runner very close to the mile mark and pushed the pace on her own the rest of the way, running her way to not only the fastest time and her 5th career win on the day but also a new PR for herself and the 2nd fastest Middlesex time run in the last 6 years.  Her poise, toughness, and composure were inspiring to watch.  Charlotte O'Toole ran alone for most of the course to finish 3rd.  Alene Fernandes passed a big pack of Groton runners near the halfway mark to get herself into 4th position, where she stayed despite the very fast advance of her teammate Annabelle Rogers, who passed the entire scoring pack from Groton in the last mile to finish in 5th. Thus, despite Groton's depth in its 2nd to 6th runners, who were all within 25 seconds of each other, Middlesex was able to execute the team win.  Jillian Robertson finished 11th in her first career finish in the varsity top 5. Grace Hu and Maya Sidhu were 6th and 7th for Middlesex, ahead of the 7th runner from Groton.  

The JV perfect score was secured by Nina Douge, in a triumphant return, Grace Luettgen, Amelia Stevens, Soleil Kerfoot, and Tess Kelley.  Phoebe Lu ran an impressive PR to finish as our 6th JV runner, and Megan Ding was 7th.  Terrific performances didn't stop there, however, as 23 Middlesex runners, including the much anticipated 2018 debut of Mary Odusami, completed the course with strength and determination. Impressive personal bests were earned by Maanasi Chintamani and Ruby Massengale.  The coaches were particularly impressed with the selflessness of our non-racing teammates, led by manager Marie Krou, who all found a way to be of service despite their inability to run on race day.