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Coach Kirsten Healey’s boys and girls cross-country teams are pretty much halfway through the season. The girls have a perfect 4-0 record, while the boys are 2-2 after their victories against Woburn on Oct. 7.
“We have a tight pack of runners up front on the girls team that includes Riley Newman – now out for the season with a stress fracture – Julia Ramsey and Caroline Lanz, followed by a strong (complement) of runners from four through seven,” said Healey.
The team’s depth led them to victories over Melrose (22-39, Sept. 10), Belmont (15-50, Sept. 16), Arlington (17-46, Sept. 30) and Woburn (15-48, Oct. 7).
At the annual Ocean State invitational in Warwick, R.I. on Sept. 27, the Wincheser girls faced a competitive field throughout the Northeast, and among those squads were local powerhouses from Lexington, Westford Academy and Billerica.
“While we didn't have a great day (in Rhode Island), I know we had more to give, and will come back hungrier than ever against these teams during the statewide postseason meets in a few weeks,” said Healey.
The boys team, on the other hand, continue to progress with the likes of Noah Damaske, who fended off his Melrose counterpart to finish first in the opener last month.
“(Collectively), both teams are on the younger side, loaded with juniors and sophomores,” said Healey. “Captain Noah Dollard, one of our Top 7 runners on the boys team, is the lone senior on the roster.”
Healey went on to say that the boys are rebuilding, with a bunch of young runners getting their chance to participate in varsity races. They showed their potential right away with a 25-31 triumph over Melrose on Sept. 10, but ended up losing their next two to Belmont (19-39) and Arlington (18-43), before rebounding earlier this week against Woburn on Oct. 7, 25-32.
Alex Machmer and Helen Li are the captains on the girls team. Omar Seka, Rohan Yadav and Dollard are the boys leaders.
Both boys and girls teams will welcome Lexington to Woburn’s Horn Pond on Tuesday, Oct. 14, to compete in another Middlesex League meet that’s set to begin at 4 p.m.
Joe McConnell is a longtime, award-winning sports editor for numerous North Shore publications. He began covering Winchester sports for the News last November.
