Cross Country Fueled and Ready

Led by the speedy trio of Olivia Brackett, Charlotte Walmsley, and Abigail Pohl, the Weston girls cross country team appears built to equal or better its results from last year.

Those results include an 8-1 Dual County League record, a second place finish in the Eastern Massachusetts Division 5 meet, and an impressive fourth-place showing at the All-States.

Brackett, a senior, holds Weston's two-mile track record, fellow senior Walmsley is also a two-mile qualifier at the All-States, and Pohl holds the Wildcats' one-mile record entering this season as a junior. 

“They had a strong season last year,” Weston head coach John Monz said. ”They’ve gotten a lot better. They’ve come a long way. We’re extremely good in the top three and quite solid at four and five.”

For the boys' team, junior Matt Herzig and senior David Freeman lead the way. The duo has two-mile times of 10:02 and 10:10, respectively. Those numbers are strong indicators the pair should have a noteworthy season, Monz said.

Rounding out the top three is junior Geoffrey Pendergast, who Monz described as a “solid kid.”

The coach said the boys team has matured and has a little more depth than in past years.  

“Maybe they don’t have that super outstanding runner, but they have more of a solid group,” he said. “They should do pretty well.”   

Both the girls and boys teams are expected to face fierce competition against Dual County League rivals Concord-Carlisle and Acton-Boxborough. In fact, the Wildcats begin the DCL campaign Sept. 14 at A-B in a tri-meet with Waltham.

"Tough way to start,” Monz said. “But that’s the way the schedule falls. You just have to deal with it.”

The Wildcats will first ease their way into the season running in the Clipper Relays at Newburyport Sept. 10.