by:  Caroline Reynolds and Bethany Faulds

On the morning of September 27, approximately 2,000 runners arrived at Wrentham, MA to compete in the first big invitational meet of the season. Early morning brought teams from all around the state, jogging the grassy course and setting up their tents.  The temperature was a sweltering 80 degrees, directly under the sun. From Westborough, there were registered runners for every division 1 race: Freshman, J.V, and Varsity.

The gun exploded with a boom at about 9 A.M as the boys J.V race started. People sprinted up the starting hill in a parade of color, the sound of feet hitting the ground vibrating in the air. The cross-country course, lined by flags, weaved through a large field. The top Westborough boys J.V runner was senior Dan Makay with a time of 17:58 followed by Ryan Cunningham and Mike Laughlin.

The girls J.V ran next with Westborough’s top J.V runner, Anna Ouyang coming in with a time of 26:10 before second runner, Pooja Bala. “Overall I didn’t like the race because it was extremely hot and on an open expanse of field,” stated Bala, “Although I liked that there were a lot of people there, it motivated me.”

For the girls’ freshman race, Elizabeth Hopkinson placed 11th with a time of 13:09 and Victoria Helle received a time of 13:39.  “It was a good course, there were no trails so the path was wide. I appreciated the shorter race,” commented Helle.  Top Westborough runner, Emily Desmond placed 56th with a time of 22:57 followed by second runner Sabrina Goebel at 22:59.

Overall, boys varsity ended in 7th, boys junior varsity ended in 6th, girls varsity ended in 14th, and girls J.V also ended in 14th, which was last in their division. Both boys and girls freshmen did not have enough runners for an overall result. The girls’ cross country team hopes for cooler temperatures for better running conditions at the next invitational meet, as they feel this will improve their scores.