RL Cross Country Repeats as New England Champions

On Saturday, November 10, the Roxbury Latin Cross Country team lined up against 15 other schools to race for the New England Preparatory School Track Association (NEPSTA) Division II Cross Country Championship at Governor’s Academy in Byfield, Massachusetts. The team emerged at the end of a tough race as victors, holding onto the Championship title, defending their first place win from 2017.

The few days leading up to the race brought nasty weather across Governor’s campus resulting in last minute course alterations and wet and slippery terrain on a course that proves challenging even in favorable conditions. RL runners adjusted accordingly and prepared to face whatever conditions the course and race could throw at them.  

Though the newly formed starting line forced teams to start in shoulder-to-shoulder, single-file lines, the RL pack was able to get off the line quickly, and each runner had found his desired position in the pack before the 1-mile mark. Positions didn’t change drastically for RL runners over the course of the remaining two miles, but where other teams’ runners fell back here or there, RL’s harriers hung in their respective packs and worked to control the pace. Knowing every point would matter, especially against a strong Tabor squad that had defeated RL by one point at the ISL Championship the week prior, RL runners attacked the final downhill mile of the course looking to pick up spots wherever they could.

In the end, RL came away with the win posting a total of 59 points to Tabor Academy’s 79 points. RL placed five runners in the top-20, earning each of them All-New England Honors, and the team’s 6th and 7th runners marked respectable 31st and 34th place finishes.

5th   Will Cote III

6th   Quinn Donovan III

13th   Mark Henshon IV

16th   Javi Werner III

19th   Daniel Gillis II

31st   Nolan McKenna III

34th   George Madison IV

The NEPSTA Division II Championship capped off a season record of 12-1 and a close second place finish in the Independent School League.

The Junior Varsity team shone this year, offering lots of promise for the future of the program. The J.V. squad earned first place in both the ISL and in New England, culminating a regular season record of  10-1. The Junior team finished its season undefeated, with a record of 16-0—running many perfect races throughout the fall. They concluded the season by earning first place at the Junior Jamboree hosted on November 7 at Roxbury Latin.

Full results of varsity individuals and teams, as well as JV individuals and teams, in the NEPSTA Division II Championship race are available here.

Photos by John Werner