The girls cross country team’s season has reached its end, and the team could not be more prouder of themselves. Along with the boys cross country team, they have became the GBL champions, which was a perfect way to end their last season in the Greater Boston League.
According to sophomore Birukti Tsige, there was a feeling of nostalgia in the team, since they were moving to a new league the next season. Tsige added that because of that, everyone fought to win every race they had, and many players had individual personal records. There were some setbacks and challenges, since there were some injuries, and some were even days before races. Nevertheless, the team “managed to pull it together and unite for every since race, and come out as winners,” and as proud Malden High School winners.
Another cross country runner, sophomore Taylor Dill, described her own challenges in the season. As a beginner distance runner, she stated that the beginning of the season was “very challenging for [her].” For the first two weeks, she admitted she felt like quitting. However, she gained a new motivation, “[she] knew quitting was for losers, and [she] wouldn’t get better if [she] quit. So [she] stuck with it.” She had her doubts at first, when coach David Londino said that she could be a varsity cross country runner. She proved herself wrong, saying that she was able to finish each varsity race she was in. Due to an unfortunate injury, she only participated in three races. She holds her head up though, knowing that “[she] was only a beginner distance runner, and [she] had a lot ahead of me to improve.”
The proudest moments for the girls cross country team, was the meet against Medford, and the GBL closing. Tsige said that the team seemed like “it was falling apart, and that the mentality didn’t seem to be great.” When the girls heard that a couple new runners had arrived in Medford’s team, coach Londino gave “the best pep talk that [she’s] ever heard him give,” Tsige states and every girl on the team “no matter what injury [they] had, ran with everything [they] had.” The girls ended up winning the race. The GBL closing was a proud moment for Dill. The freshmen improved a lot, and the older runners did as well, which contributed to the win. Dill sites juniors Allie Russo, Jasmine Gray, and many other girls on the team as the core to helping the team win. Gray became the first female GBL champion for Malden since 2006, a moment that made the team and coach Londino feel very proud, because they’ve achieved so much as a team from all the hard work they’ve put in.
Both girls applauded coach Londino. “Without Londino,” Dill says, “[she] honestly wouldn’t have become a better runner nor a better person. He believes in [her] and the team, that they can do better. Even though he may be a very tough coach, he’s a genuine person who cares about [her] present and my future as a runner and as a person.”
The team has done a phenomenal job at keeping their championship title. They finished the season strong, and not only as a team, but as a family.
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