Girls' Cross Country Take Fourth in Founders'

The Martlets went out to Avon Old Farms for the second time in two weeks; this time, the weather was not nearly so conducive to fast running as the remnants of Hurricane Noel threatened with high winds and rain.  Consequently, the team went to this race with the idea of racing against their competitors rather than worry about besting their own times.  At the start, the weather was cold and windy, but the runners were spared the rain and the girls began the race in good spirits, ready to give their best effort and avenge at least three of the close losses suffered this season.  At the mile mark, the girls were in strong position, with Helena Morris '08 and Annie Ulrich '09 leading the Black and Gold pack with times of 6:40 and 6:42 but with strong times also posted by Chanler Murphy '09, Kathryn Brady '10, Anne Hoyt '08, Annie Cervas '10, and Sarah Ogden '11.  Morris finished first for Westminster and 11th overall (20:59), making her third straight appearance in the All-Founders' League team.  Ulrich gutted out a finish despite feeling ill for the final mile and ran the exact same time as she had two weeks earlier.  Remarkably, the next five girls all ran faster than they had on that previous race day, with Chanler Murphy making a triumphant return to the top five group and captain Anne Hoyt running a lifetime best of 23:05.  The team finished 4th in the Founders League, ahead of those three teams (Kent, KO and MPS) who had edged them during the regular season as well as Hotchkiss.  What is really exciting is that all the girls appear to be peaking at the right time; with New England championships ahead of next week, the team is eagerly anticipating what they can achieve.