Four strong girls ISL cross country teams (St. Mark's, Milton, Thayer, and Middlesex) competed at St. Mark's this week in a great demonstration of the competitiveness and sportsmanship of GXC in the league.  All teams had robust rosters with runners of all speeds, and the racing was competitive from start to finish even as the runners supported one another throughout the course.  The JV girls got the day started well for Middlesex, with sophomore Josie Silk leading all competitors to finish first by nearly a minute.  With senior Maya Sidhu finishing 3rd (just behind a Milton runner in 2nd) and junior Amelia Stevens in 4th, the team win over Thayer and St. Mark's was secured.  The team win over Milton was secured when junior Megan Ding (10th place) finished just behind the Milton 3rd JV runner and senior Maanasi Chintamani (16th) and junior Grace Luettgen (17th) finished ahead of the Milton 5th.  The Middlesex second 7 was further helped by smart running from senior Phoebe Lu (20th).  With 20 Middlesex girls finishing the JV race, there were lots of gutsy and tough performances on display, with first races from freshmen Laura Hoffman, Rachel Solomon, and Megan Shi.  Many Middlesex runners earned best times, with special congrats due to Maanasi, who ran more than a minute faster than she's ever run before!  

In the varsity race, the team was ready for our first quad meet and first time (of 3 this season) facing perennial power Thayer.  The Thayer pack proved too speedy for the Zebras this week as they placed four runners in the top 5 of the race, but the Middlesex pack worked together throughout the course to put the team in good position relative to Milton and host St. Mark's.  Sophomore Annabelle Rogers was the first MX finisher in 9th place, followed closely by senior Alene Fernandes (10th), junior Grace Hu (11th), junior Jillian Roberston (14th), junior Meena Menon (15th), senior captain Gabby Walsh (16th), senior captain Nina Douge (17th), and sophomore Mariam Craig (18th).  Thus, in a true team effort with displacement points and late race passes playing a crucial role, the Middlesex varsity won two of the three contests on the day.  It was particularly gratifying to see that Nina Douge, a senior and four year runner, ran a PR in her gutsy performance.

The team looks forward to a good week of training before continuing their tour of the league's most storied courses at Governor's Academy next weekend.