Cross Country Draws a Crowd

Other sports may get more attention, but no fall sport has more participation at Winchester High School than cross-country, where the number of athletes at practice almost reach triple-digits.

There are 26 girls and an astounding 72 boys on the cross-country teams this season, which are coached for the 38th year by Winchester Sports Hall of Famer Joe Cantillon.

"I could say excellent coaching. Who knows?" Cantillon joked about the massive turnout. "The last few years we managed to get a good group of freshmen and once they're involved they enjoy it and they keep coming back, and a lot of times a younger sibling will be at the high school and join in also."

Despite the numbers, which make Winchester the largest team in the Middlesex League, Cantillon stays uncertain about how his teams will do until the meets start.

The boys were 7-2 last year and return eight varsity letter-winners, while the girls were 4-5 and return nine.

"We're always cautiously optimistic but you never really know at this point in the season what the other teams have," Cantillon said. "You can look back at their records and their runners from last year but you never quite know until you get the first meet or two done and you can look at times and results from other meets."

The boys return four seniors — tri-captains James Anderson, Bob Andrews and Andrew Hintlian along with Sam Stratton, who has made a major improvement from last season. They are joined by juniors Brendan Creane, Sam Kellogg and Lucas Phillips.

"They were doing quite well as sophomores and we're hoping that they will improve even further this year," Cantillon said.

The final returner is sophomore Patrick Franco.

"He earned a letter last year as a freshman, which is unusual, so that gives you an idea of his potential," Cantillon said.

The girls have an odd combination of returning runners — six seniors and three sophomores.

The upperclassmen are Ariana Albanese, Meghan Gotsell, Maddy Mangan, Katie McKeough, Molly Olmsted and Rachel Unger, while the sophomores are Claire Aalerud, Irina Bratts and Ani Chilingirian.

Gotsell, Mangan and Olmsted — in her fourth year — are the tri-captains. We expect the captains to be the optimal role models and I think the three of them are," Cantillon said. "They're hard workers."

Then there are the newcomers, like senior Jeff Burka and junior Melanie Manko, who have been running well in the preseason and are expected to make their mark this year.

The first meet is Thursday at Stoneham.

"We've been working hard, we have a pretty good lineup, so we have to wait and see," Cantillon said. "We're looking forward to seeing what they can do against Middlesex League competition."

Winchester cross country
Last season: Boys 7-2, Girls 4-5
Key players: James Anderson, Sr.; Bob Andrews, Sr.; Andrew Hintlian, Sr.; Meghan Gotsell, Sr.; Maddy Mangan, Sr.; Molly Olmsted, Sr.
Key losses: Alex Ritchie, Amos Meeks, Tom Santa Maria
Outlook: Gone are Tom Santa Maria (now competing for Holy Cross), along with top runners Amos Meeks and Alex Ritchie. But there are plenty of returning athletes — and plenty more waiting in the wings — so Winchester should be very competitive in the Middlesex League, especially on the boys side.
Quote: "We're always cautiously optimistic but you never really know at this point in the season what the other teams have," — coach Joe Cantillon.