By Neha K.
Staff Writer
The cross country team had its first meet of the season in Newark, NJ on Sept. 7.
Prior to the meet, several team veterans were asked to discuss advice for success in meets. Staying hydrated, eating a healthy breakfast, adjusting to circumstances, knowing one’s abilities and having fun were the top tips.
The advice seemed to help because the varsity boys placed second, only one point away from tying first with Newark Academy of Newark, NJ. The varsity girls finished fifth. Stellar performances from varsity include Captain Liam Wall ’14 (1st), Collin Mulligan ’15 (3rd), Bridgid Greed ’16 (4th) and Captain Abby Burlington ’14 (10th). Honorable mentions for the JV boys team go to Tom Keenan ’14 (2nd) and Nishad Nulgundwar ’17 (4th).
Wall attributes his success to intense summer training.
“I ran over 750 miles this summer and trained at altitude with my teammate Colin Mulligan,” Wall said. “It was a really challenging but definitely worthwhile experience. I ran a personal best time of 16:07, nearly a minute faster than my time from the 2012 Newark Invitational.”
David Tattoni ’16 also ran a personal best time of 18:46. It was his first race as a varsity member.
“Everyone trained really hard over the summer and in pre-season,” Tattoni said. “Last year I was running 5K [races] in the 20 [minute range], so it goes to show that hard work does pay off.”
“I’m looking forward to racing against other MAPL teams as we have a shot at the championship,” Wall said. “It was really frustrating to come second in the team race by only one point, but it has made us train that much harder in practice.”
