Fall Sports Preview: Girls Cross Country

Last year was a down year for the Amity girls cross country team as it finished with a luke warm 2-2 record and was not a real factor in the Housatonic division or the Southern Connecticut Conference. The Lady Spartans have lost only one runner of significance from that team—Jane Depgen. On the other hand Senior Co-Captains Lee Ann Beedle and Allie Cocco return as do juniors Kate and Sarah Beland. Beedle is a 4^th year runner while the Beland sisters both have two prior years as harriers.

While seniors Cynthia Greenberg, Rebecca Race and Maggie Jodon are spring track veterans, none of them have ever run cross country. Until this fall, they played soccer. Junior Minnie Chen has moved up from the junior varsity team to the varsity team. Freshmen Sarah Stein and Lisa Gorham are young, inexperienced runners but Coach Sean Mahon feels that they both have the potential to contribute to the team this year.

According to Mahon, “With the three girls joining us from the soccer team, this could be a very interesting season. Quite honestly, I really don’t know what to expect.  We don’t have any super stars, but in Lee Ann and the Beland sisters, we do have experienced cross country runners. I am certainly aware that Cynthia, Maggie, and Rebecca are veteran track runners and excellent athletes, but they have absolutely no cross country experience. If they keep working hard and continue to improve as they gain experience, we could become a dangerous team.”

As the Black and Gold prepare for Saturday’s opening race, the Windham Invitational in Willimantic, Mahon admitted he does not have a sure-bet No. 1 runner.

“It’s up for grabs,” he said. “It could be Lee Ann, the Beland sisters or even Cynthia. We have to see which one wants to grab the No. 1 slot.”

While both Cheshire and Shelton are traditional Housatonic Division powers, Mahon noted that both suffered some graduation losses. Guilford and Hillhouse are his picks as the teams to beat in the SCC.

He added, “I’m really not sure what other teams in our division have, but watch out for us. We have the potential to become a very powerful team and we are all looking forward to the upcoming season.”

With his current roster, Mahon feels confident that he has more depth than he had last year and looks to see improvement in the overall results.

“Right now, we are taking one race at a time and see how we develop,” he said. “Our key to success is staying healthy. We have to avoid injuries and rely on our summer-based training.