On Saturday, November 2, Boys and Girls Varsity Cross Country traveled to Taft to compete in the Founders League Championships. The boys placed 2nd out of nine teams, while the girls placed 5th out of nine.
The boys earned a total of 58 points, finishing only behind Loomis, which earned 25 points. Cooper Grace ’27 led the boys, finishing with a time of 16:45 in the 5k. This time earned him a 3rd place finish out of 55 runners. Phillip Fauver ’26 finished with a time of 17:30 in 10th place. Not far behind him was co-captain John Coffin ’25 and Henry Thompson ’27, who earned 11th and 16th place, respectively. Thompson said, “The race had a spooky feeling when we all were in the front; I knew immediately it was going to be a good race.”
The team included three Preps, which, according to Boys Varsity Cross Country Head Coach Pierre Yoo, is the largest number on a varsity team in his thirteen years as head coach.
Matthew Fonte ’28 placed 18th, Leo Hackett ’28 placed 25th, and Aidan Rainville ’28 finished 29th. Coach Yoo said, “They have improved so much during the season; we asked for their contributions and they delivered.”
The girls were led by co-captain Sawyer Eaton ’25, Maeve Hottenrott ’25, and Amina Wang ’27.
The girls earned a total of 138 points, which earned them fifth place after Loomis in first and Choate in second.
Girls Varsity Cross Country Head Coach Kira Shaikh said, “They formed a pack to support and encourage each other throughout the race.”
Eaton placed 21st with a time of 22:35, Hottenrott placed 23rd with a time of 22:46, and Wang finished 24th with a time of 22:49.
Finishing next were Margaret Marcum ’28 and co-captain Jami Huang ’25, who placed 32nd and 38th, respectively. Finally, co-captain Nola Lai ’25 and Chloe Ayer ’28 finished 43rd and 46th respectively.
Coach Shaikh said, “The team demonstrated mental and physical strength as they trusted their training to pass opponents up a thriller of a hill.”
Lai said, “The meet went well. All of our girls were super-strong on the Taft hills, thanks to our hilly course at Hotchkiss. Some stand-out performances included Jami Huang, who ran a personal record.”
The Founders League, which includes eleven schools, is a highly competitive league for cross country, and Hotchkiss went against many of the same teams in the final race of the season—the New England Prep Schools Track Association (NEPSTA) Division 1 Championship Race.
Coach Shaikh said, “Founders is a practice race for NEPSTA. Invitational mentality is real! Truly beginning to get into that mindset is practice for NEPSTA.”
Coach Yoo said, “Each race helps us unlock the inner potential and strengthens the mind to go the extra mile faster and stronger.”
Hotchkiss hosted NEPSTA on November 9. Boys Varsity placed 7th out of 14 schools, Boys JV placed 7th out of 12, and Girls Varsity placed 14th out of 14.
