Malden cross country girls prepare to run alongside their Marblehead competitors. Photo taken by Joie Huang.
This year, the Cross Country team has concluded the season with a record of 4-4. On October 17th, the team played against Beverley and won 50 to 15. When asked about the season as a whole so far, Coach Weldon stated that “the team has excelled in facing many tough opponents this season, while also running on difficult courses,” which shows how they have managed to overcome challenges to come out on top.
Beverley seemed to be a challenge for the team this year, with some factors like the terrain seeming to really play a big part. The Beverley track had “multiple hills” and had a “really rugged surface” as stated by Coach Weldon. Captain Kyle O’Brien stated that “the hills were awful” and that “it was so bad [he] could hardly raise [his] legs.” O’Brien also stated that he was more than two minutes slower on that course than on any other.
O’Brien went on to say that this was “probably one of the worst races [he] has ever run” and that if “[they] had harder hills to train on [he] could have done much better,” but feels the team “still ran hard even though the hills were awful.” O’Brien finished by stating that he “enjoyed seeing [his] teammates give it 100%.” Coach Weldon also commented on this saying “the team took on this challenge with no complaints or hesitation.”
The cross country team has made states this year, but still seeks to train harder and improve more. When asked about what he feels could be worked on, Captain O’Brien stated that “[they] will work hard to maintain the endurance [they] have” and that the captains will try to “motivate [the runners] to run the hardest they have yet.” O’Brien also stated that “[their next meet] will be the team’s last cross country meet, and [his] last high school cross country meet ever.”
Even though the team had to overcome challenges, they managed to work through it, making it to states. Coach Weldon stated that “the runners have had a great season, to which many have succeeded in setting personal records.” This year has also helped to develop and shape both new and veteran runners, with Coach Weldon saying that “Veteran runners have proven to be strong leaders, while new runners have stepped up to show [they] have a promising future. [He] looks forward to seeing how the team grows for next season.”
