6th, 9th, 11th, 16th, 17th, 20th, 21st. These are the placings of the first seven CA cross country runners at the Eastern Independent League (EIL) race. CA took first place by six points and was 181 points ahead of the last-place team. The strong victory reflects the cross-country team’s hard work, dedication, and outstanding sense of community.
In 2024, the team took a close second place, coming behind the host school, Wheeler. Going into the same course, they were ready to fight hard. Leading up to the race, the team had been rattled with injury: Ezra Wolfson ’27, the 4th best runner from the previous season, was out for the first few weeks; number three runner Nicolas Espinosa ’28 was out for the season, and both Ben Hart ’27 and Paul Marmot ’27, the top-ranked runner were out for a week leading up to the meet. Wheeler, as always, was looking strong and had the home-course advantage. Going into the meet, captains Ryan Zhao ’26 and Andrii Vedmid ’26 prepared everyone for the race. They gave encouragement and wisdom to the team, and put their faith in the team's full effort.
On Friday, October 31st, the boys arrived at Chase Farm in Lincoln, Rhode Island. They walked the course as always, and veterans shared their knowledge from their previous experiences. They watched the girls' varsity race start before beginning their warmup. They had worked hard to perfect their pre-race routines over the season and replicated their usual warmup. As they came together on the start line, the captains gave words of encouragement and reflection. They had taken time to think out the race beforehand, looking over the course and creating race strategies.
As CA’s best runner and sixth place overall in the EIL race, Marmot noted, “Everyone started out fast, but I decided to stay conservative early, just like we had planned, and began pushing myself on the upper loops. The last hill was brutal, but I gave it everything on the last downhill to finish strong. I’m glad our team was very strategic while racing. That smart racing is really what propelled us to win.” His thoughtful planning and drive to win led him to run a 17:44 5K. Jimmy Xu ’27 and Hart followed his strategic lead, running together until the very end and placing 9th and 11th, respectively. The same can be said for Alexander Meredith ’28 and Wolfson (16th and 17th) as well as Boris Liu ’27 and Sebastian Colberg ’27 (20th and 21st).
While the runners of CA did not break into the top five, the depth of the team propelled them to the lead. CA was the only school to have its first seven runners in the top 25, and their next three runners all were in the top 40. They proved that combining a strong overall team with a lot of determination can win a league without needing a run in the top five. Zhao also finds the hard work and consistent training to be a big factor in the victory. Reflecting on the team's hard work, he said, “Our victory at EILs is a testament to our training. From the summer mileage to the workouts throughout the season, this year we proved ourselves with our collective effort.” Head coach Jon Waldron was the primary reason for the training and hard work of the team. The group of boys that won EILs was a bonded, consistent, and dedicated team, a result of the dedication and wisdom he brings to the team.
The interconnected and supportive team carried each other to victory in the end. Zhao spoke to this, saying, “We may have won a trophy, but that is just a fraction of our victory. My pride is in the team, how we faced all of those struggles and put in the work together.” No single runner brought the EIL victory to the CA Boys Cross Country team; rather, the collective secured the victory. As Marmot observed, “We worked hard all season, pushing each other and growing stronger as a team. This EIL championship win is proof of that, and I’m so excited to see what the team can accomplish next year.”