On Sept. 16, the Wooster boys’ and girls’ Cross Country teams opened their season with a huge victory at the Watkinson Invitational in Bloomingfield, Connecticut. Despite the unexpected hot temperatures, high humidity, and difficult racing conditions, both teams pushed through and came away with first place.
Cross Country Captains 2026
For the boys, Wooster had multiple strong individual performances. Eighth grader Boston came away with sixth-place overall and third place for Wooster. Sophomore Vinny finished in second place, and Jack '28, a captain, in first.
On the girls’ team, we saw how a team can work together, and despite not winning as individuals, the team scored a victory against the other competitors in the league. In fourth place, captain Natalie ’28 blew past the competition and helped carry the team's points, setting us up to win. Soon after, fellow captain and senior Charlotte placed sixth, and Leiana ’27 placed eighth. The girls won by a staggering 14 points, beating all four other teams.
The difficult conditions were one of the biggest challenges of the race. Joshua ’27 described the race and its results as “depressing,” explaining that it was “impossible to breathe” and that he felt the heat “draining all my energy.”
“We were told it was gonna be cloudy… how wrong we were,” he said, joking about the unexpected weather.
Other team members had similar reactions and experiences. Warren said the race was “really tough for the first meet,” while Natalie was just simply happy to “get the season started,” despite the heat.
Mia ’28 said she “lost a lot of time off of my PR,” but added that the “team was hype.”
Boston seemed to have had a more fun and positive experience, saying that he enjoyed “finishing third for Wooster and sixth overall.”
Although the season opener felt slower and tougher than expected, Wooster’s two victories gave the teams a strong start to the season. With plenty of more important and faster races ahead, both teams plan to build upon their success and continue competing together throughout the season and dominate the HVAL league and beyond.
Jack '28
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