Sophomore Keri Gilligan running with Seniors Kyle DiMaro, Jasmine Gray and Amanda Santorelli. Photo by Quyen Le.
The Malden Girls Cross Country Team has been working hard and persevering day by day as the season is ending in just a few weeks.
“The season is definitely going to be missed” Coach Courtney Invernizzi stated. She expressed how it has been a wonderful first time coaching the team alone. There has been many accomplishments, including one achievement being the team making it to states. When asked, everyone expressed how they are very thrilled to be running at states.
This year, there has been many challenges, both ups and downs. Even though they have lost four times, they have also won four times. It is especially difficult this year because the team is in a different and harder league. Coach Invernizzi is exceptionally proud of the team. She expressed that the varsity kids have been “great leaders and a lot of [her] newbies(newcomers/ first timers) are very intrigued to listen and learn from the varsity kids”.
On Saturday, October 29, the team competed in the North Eastern Conference, also know as the NEC. The NEC is a meet where the Malden Girls Cross Country Team go against the teams that are also in the league. According to Coach Invernizzi, the team has been presenting significant teamwork by pushing each other to their greatest potential. She later on explains how “[she] thinks if [the team] work[s] together, and are confident in themselves, they could, and should place very high”.
Sophomore Keri Gilligan is in her second year of cross country. The day before the NEC, Gilligan expressed that they are going to do very well at the NEC because “[the team] has a lot of strong runners, and [they] have all been putting very hard work into all of [their] training”. Sophomore Emane Boufaida stated that “if [the team] work hard and use all the skills [they] learned at practice, they will be able to do great”. Boufaida is also determine to achieve her goal, that is to get a personal record, by telling “[herself] this is one of [her] last, and most important races of the season, [she and the team] have worked hard for it and [she] can do it”. Senior Amanda Santorelli feels that “[the NEC] is going to be a very great and successful meet because [the team] has been working hard and preparing for it for the whole season”. Confidently, Senior Kylie DiMaro stated “[they] plan to win, [they] are prepared to win, and [they] expect to win, when [they] wake up tomorrow morning, [they] know [they] have to go out there, do [their] job, and put in 110% effort”.
This season has boosted the team’s strengths as runners. For Senior Jasmine Gray “[her] goal at the beginning of the season was to win as much as possible, now [she] has been running personal records”, also known as PRs. For Gilligan, she has “improved on getting [her] times down, and her mental state while running.”
Even though the season is ending, the team do not have to say goodbye yet. Coach Invernizzi is the assistant coach for track. She is looking forward and “[she] enjoys learning from Coach Londino”. When asked, everyone on the team expressed how they were sad that the season is ending, but they are very much looking forward for track. Thus the team, including Coach Invernizzi, will reunite in the winter.
