Men’s Cross Country

The men’s varsity cross country team had an undefeated season and won the MIAA B Conference championship. The team included 33 runners, and both JV and varsity were able to claim first place at the conference championships at Stevenson University on Nov. 1.

Senior James Gillam has been on the team for four years and found his final season to be the best one. “[The championship] was sort of an emotional journey because we weren’t sure that we had won it until they announced our names because it was really close,” Gillam said.

Men’s cross country coach Michael Monaghan was pleased with how the team performed this year and was proud of all the hard work the boys put in. “Managing the difference between the highest and lowest runners made it more difficult, but with help from [assistant coach] Sarah Driver it was easier to break it up,” Monaghan said.

The team worked hard this year to prepare themselves for the championship race, creating a solid foundation that helped them win every conference meet. “This was our third year that we were really in the running for [the championship] and we didn’t want to screw it up,” Gillam said.  

Both the team and coaches enjoyed their season and we’re proud to break the 28 year dry spell since the last championship in 1989. “Cross country is my favorite season out of my coaching because it is not as restrictive and focused so you get to do a lot more,” Monaghan said. The team will have a lot of returning talent next season and are hopeful they can claim the championship title again.

Anna Sullivan is an Entertainment Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.