After a hot start to the new year, Belmont Hill’s Cross Country team drove out to Southborough, primed to take on talented ISL contenders St. Mark’s, Middlesex, and Lawrence Academy. After a heartbreaking loss in last year’s ISL Championship, Belmont Hill looked to show they were right in the thick of things this year. Just before the start of the race, Coach Trautz had this to say: “We’re looking to send a message today. We want to run hard and give everything we’ve got. We’re going into a battle today, and it will be a good test for us.” Without key contributors John High, Matthew Drucker, and Tor Hillstrom, the test figured to be a challenging one. When asked about the team’s demeanor heading into the race, Senior Captain Matthew Smith revealed that “We’re confident, but we realize there are a lot of great teams out here today. We’ve been putting in the work. I think we’re ready.”
Ultimately, it was not Belmont Hill’s day. A tough course, characterized by an imposing uphill section, favored the home team, and though the team turned out a valiant effort, they lost to both Middlesex (1st place) and St. Mark’s (2nd place), finishing ahead of Lawrence Academy to grab 3rd place. After the tough loss, third year runner and Captain Matt Goguen offered, “We ran hard, but unfortunately we came up short. We’ll get right back to work and we’ll be back.”