By Lauren Taylor ’20
Led by captains Cathleen Parker (VI) and Nicole Vanasse (V), the varsity girls’ cross country team is looking forward to another fantastic season. “Expectations are high for this team,” Head Coach Tim Grant remarked, with the girls coming into preseason ranked ninth in the state. Unfortunately, the team has faced some challenges along the way, with Ryan Davi (IV) and Elina Irvine (IV), two of the team’s strongest runners, both currently injured.
Still, Coach Grant and the team captains have ambitious goals for the season. Coach Grant declared, “Our main goal this year is to qualify for the Meet of Champions and to try to advance to Non-Public A State Championships.” To do this, the team will have to have strong performances at the Shore Coaches Invitational in early October, the Prep State Championship at the end of October, and then the Groups Meet in November. The team placed at all of these meets last season and they hope to defend their title at the Prep State Championships.
Captain Nikki Vanasse, along with the rest of the team, is “really excited for the upcoming meets. . . The team has been training hard and we’re excited to see it pay off!”