TMHS Cross Country Team Looks to Continue Forward Progress

The Tewksbury Memorial High School cross country team improves with every passing season, giving head coach Peter Molloy high hopes for the future of the squad.

"Last year, we saw a nice improvement in the team record and overall performance from both the boys and girls teams," Molloy said. "After the season was over, we saw more improvement in the winter and spring track seasons. Needless to say, we are very much looking forward to this upcoming season."

Molloy is a veteran cross country coach and this season will be his seventh coaching at TMHS. He previously coached indoor and outdoor track for five years at his alma mater, Lowell High.

The boys team will be led by senior c0-captain Nick Parsons, who has made tremendous progress over the past year, said Molloy. Joining Parsons as top point scorers for the Redmen should be Brian Amaral, Corey Thomas, co-captain Craig Tino and Kip Horahan.

Amaral and Thomas, both sophomores, have also made great strides in the past year and should be ready to have a major impact in the Merrimack Valley Conference.

The girls team is anchored by senior leadership from co-captains Emily Parker and Ashley Toland. While Parker has been a steady force, Molloy says Toland has elevated her performance significantly and the duo should provide a solid 1-2 punch in the lead pack throughout the season.

But Tewksbury's success will depend on depth and that's where juniors  Laura Patriarca  and Christina Dick, as well as Samantha McGuildrick come in. Molloy is pleased with the progress made by that trio and if they can provide consistant performances behind the top two, Tewksbury will do some damage in the conference.

Despite the program's continuous improvement, cross country participation is on the decline, especially among the school's freshmen classes each year.

According to Molloy, the team often losses freshmen male runners to Shawsheen Tech and Central Catholic. This year's roster is comprised of 25 boys and 20 girls.

Molloy feels it is unfortunate that numbers are down, but is able to see the silver lining. He feels a smaller team allows for each runner to receive more guidance and individual attention from the coaches.

"(The roster size) allows the coaches to give each kid more individual attention, so hopefully we'll see a larger rate of improvement because of that," Molloy said.

There are two types of meets in cross country: dual meets and invitationals. According to Molloy, in the span of a TMHS cross country season, dual meets run every Wednesday for six weeks, and the invites are held on Saturdays sporadically throughout the season. TMHS will kick off their season with the Clipper Relays invitational on Sept. 11.

"This event is unique. We split up our boys and girls team into teams of three. Each runner will run a two-mile loop and hand a baton off to the next runner. The team with the fastest combined time wins. It's a lot of fun and the kids really seem to enjoy it," Molloy said.

The squad's first dual meet of the season will be Wedneday, Sept. 15 against Methuen High at Livingston Fields at 3:30 p.m.