Knightly News

All photos taken by: Caroline Frey'26

Last Thursday the Episcopal Cross Country team competed in the Regional Meet on November 6th. With the girls finishing 2nd overall, and the boys finishing 1st, it was a successful meet. They have also competed in the state meet since (scores and times below*).  

The air was crisp and held a weight of anticipation. Teams from across the region were huddled together under tents and trees warming up physically and mentally for the meet. I talked to Senior Varsity runner Aiden Grassmann before his race and in one of his very first remarks, he referred to the squad as his family. What I witnessed at the meet from the team truly embodies that label. Teammates running to different spots on the course to cheer each other on and offering positive words of affirmation to help each other get in the right mindset. Cross country can feel like such an individual sport, but Grassman says, “I have to work hard for my team, not just for myself.” At any cross country meet, the goal is always personal best, but for regionals specifically, it is to qualify the whole team for state. This feat takes more than one person and the cross country team knows how to get it done. 

From talking to other members of the team, it is clear that regionals are like no other meet at Highland. Because it is such a select group of schools, the number of runners in a race goes from nearly 500 to less than 100. Senior Varsity member, Lauren Bradford recalls the downside of running against less competition after her race. “I was in no man’s land.” Lauren, and many other runners, push themselves harder when there is someone to chase or someone chasing them. Without the typical number of people racing, there is more room, but there are also less people to try to beat. Regardless, Lauren was able to push herself and contribute to the team's state qualification and runner-up finish. The last thing Lauren told me before celebrating with the girls and going to cheer on the boys was, “I cannot wait for state.”

It has now been over a week since the regional meet and since then, both the boys and girls have taken home some hardware. At the state meet this past Monday, the girls finished as state runner-ups and the boys won the state title, defending their 2024 title. Sophomore Neva Lambert had a stellar state meet and ended up finishing 2nd in the race. Ada Mere and Lauren Bradford finished not far behind her in 5th and 6th place. For the boys, Senior Foster Lambert finished 3rd opening the door for the boys to take it home. Senior Jacob Hutchinson-Johnson and Junior Mason Kelly finished in 6th and 7th helping to secure the win. The Boys and Girls Cross-Country teams are now the first teams to bring home the state runner-up and state championship trophies of the 25-26 school year.

*State Meet Placements and Times

Girls:

2. Neva Lambert - 18:33.6

5. Ada Mere - 19:42.8

6. Lauren Bradford - 19:52.0

12. Sara Beth Cagley - 21:18.3

14. Josie Brooks - 21:30.4

15. Marielle Doherty - 21:36.1

21. Louise Pesses - 22:01.8 

Boys:

3. Foster Lambert - 16:06.1

6. Jacob Hutchinson-Johnson - 16:23.6

7. Mason Kelly - 16:31.0

10. Aiden Grassmann - 16:45.8

13. Daniel Piazza - 17:11.1

16. Christian Tucker - 17:23.7

17. Trace Macias - 17:23.8

Anne Bradley Ewing is a senior at Episcopal and is currently enrolled in an independent study in sports journalism. She aspires to be a sports broadcaster in the future. Alongside covering and writing on sports programs at Episcopal, she is also a member of the varsity soccer and volleyball teams. She recently found a passion for theater, which has influenced her desire to be behind the camera. Her primary goal in her writing is to help inform the Episcopal community about the behind-the-scenes aspects of sports at her school. 

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