Saturday, October 20, 2012

Wave Takes Second in FCIACS: Girls XC Finishes Up Regular Season at Waveny



By Barbara Bell
Blue Wave Girls’ Cross Country had its final race of the regular season Thursday October 18th at Waveny Park in New Caanan. Throughout the day, the course saw 19 teams, 6 races, and held an impressive amount of competitors (close to 1,000).

The Varsity team was led by sophomore Anne Johnston, who was favored to win. Although she came in 4th overall, with a time of 14:41, Johnston still claimed a victory and a personal record. Following her in 2nd place for Darien (11th overall) was senior Grace Loh, who, despite working through a calf injury, finished with a time of 15.11. The other 5 places were filled by Sarah Colon, Ellen Bauer, Sophie Long, Katie Farren, Claire Walker, and recent varsity addition Grace Evanich.

Even though the JV race didn’t contribute to the 2nd place finish, the majority of the runners ran their best times of the season. Head Coach Steve Norris said, “We had the best ever time performance on the FCIAC course since 1989; the top 5 people had better average times. I was particularly pleased that 6 out of the 7 seniors were able to finish their cross country careers on a high note.”

Captain Grace Loh stressed the teamwork and enthusiasm that contributed to the racing atmosphere. “We really came together to support and cheer on each other. Considering that this is many peoples’ final race of the season, [all of us captains] are extremely proud of all the girls. It was a very fast paced race, so the fact that we were able to keep up is impressive.”

Another accomplishment for the Wave? For the second time this season, the girls beat Wilton, something that previously hadn’t happened in FCIACS since 1992.

Fortunately, the season isn’t over yet. Varsity continues on to states on Saturday October 27th at Wickham Park in Manchester, CT.  

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