After going undefeated last season, the Mt. Greylock girls’ cross country team is off to another good start. So far, the team has had five league matches, winning three and losing two. After a month on the road, they will be hosting two home meets this October.

On Saturday, September 12th, the team competed in an invitational in Queensbury, New York. The team champions for the girls’ middle school race were Erin Keating in first, Lily McDermott in second, Grace Malone in third, Cece Malone in fourth and Emily Oulette in fifth. For the freshmen girls’ race, Sarah Polumbo finished first on the team, with Amelia Solar-Sala in second and Annie Art in third.  Some of the girl’s top runners include Kate Swann, Jackie Wells, Grace Malone and Erin Keating. While Keating and Malone are still in middle school, they continue to find success in varsity races. After graduating only one runner last year, the team is led by senior captains Brooke Phelps, Miriam Bakija, Brandi Gill, Molly Howard, and Anna Scott. 

On the boy’s side, eighth grader Ollie Swabey won the most recent league meet with a time of 17:41. Owen Tucker-Smith, Parker Winters, Branden Falhenkamp, Corban Miller, Jude Bakija, and Charlie McWeeny round out the top seven on the team. 

Long time Boys’ Coach Scott Burdick retired last year, so this year, the team welcomed former assistant coach Courtney Randall as head. The team also welcomed Noah Greenfield, Owen Tucker-Smith, Corban Miller, Finn Ellingwood, Branden Fahlenkamp, and Nima Darafshi as team captains. They look to rebuild after graduating five of their top seven last year. 

Both girls and boys teams hope to continue successful starts to the season, hosting the first home meet of the year on Wednesday, October 2nd. When asked about future competitions, eighth grader Ollie Swabey summed up the morale for both teams, saying, “The team is excited for every race thrown towards them.”