Wednesday, November 1st was a good day for the freshmen on the St. Anthony’s girls’ cross country team.
The ninth-grade Friars took the NSCHSAA league championships by storm, earning first place in the freshman race with a score of 27 points. Considering that lower scores are better in cross country—and that the lowest possible score is 15—the Friars’ 27 is impressive.
All five of St. Anthony’s fastest freshmen were among the top 10 finishers in the 1.5 mile race. Aine Mannion came in second overall with a time of 9:27. Lindsey Schwasnik was right behind her in third place. Kylie Maddalena, Melissa Cunningham, and Taylor Verdi came in fifth, seventh,and tenth, respectively, creating the “black wave” that all St. Anthony’s runners love. The black wave occurs when three or more Friars cross the finish line together; spectators see all of those black uniforms and know that St. Anthony’s is dominating.
However, although the freshmen Friars had a successful race, things were different for the varsity team. St. Anthony’s runners struggled through the 5000-meter course and finished in a disappointing fourth place, falling to Kellenberg, Sacred Heart, and St. John the Baptist.
This result is the latest bump in the road for the Friars’ varsity runners in what has been a difficult season. The team has faced many unforeseen obstacles this year, primarily the loss of several top runners. Seniors Meghan Hund and Julia Schneider, junior Kerrie Bowden, and sophomores Meghan Bowden and Julissa Martinez-France are all sidelined due to injury, leaving the team scrambling to fill their spots.
Despite the loss and the team’s challenges, the Friars still managed to turn out some noteworthy performances on Wednesday. Juniors Jennifer Furman and Vanessa Franco worked together to become St. Anthony’s top two finishers, with their times of 22:04 and 22:43 earning them 14th and 20th place overall.
Franco credited Coach Delia Hopkins with teaching her aggressive racing strategies.
“I normally struggle in the moat [the final stretch of the race], but I passed more than two people like I promised Coach,” said Franco. “I worked with other girls by seeing someone in the far distance and then trying to pass them.”
The girls’ cross country team will next compete on Saturday, November 11 at Van Cortlandt Park in the CHSAA City Championship. They hope to qualify for the New York State Federations meet, which will take place on Saturday, November 18 in Wappinger Falls.
About The Author:
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Danielle D’Alonzo Danielle has run cross country and track since freshman year. She reads the sports section every day and also writes for school newspaper, The Paduan. Danielle is also a member of NHS, Math Honor Society and English Honor Society. |
