With the fall approaching, the cross-country team prepares for a season filled with new faces, energy, and a long-term vision. With a roster of many new athletes, this year is shaping out to be a rebuilding season. Now that the preseason is almost over, the team will prepare for their upcoming competition and eventually, EA Day.
The infamous Time Trial—a test where athletes must run thirteen laps around a 396-meter track—took place four days into summer training. In the last two years, Third Formers were only required to do two miles. The coaches raised the stakes this year, and Third Formers did the standard five-thousand-meter race.
Despite the strenuous trial, there is significant talent among this year’s Third Formers. Sixth Form co-captain Nate Gill said, “Four freshmen this year ran it in under 21 minutes. Typical varsity-level runners run it around 18 minutes, so they are starting strong, including freshman Colin Park, who ran it in 18:50.”
With many talented Third Formers on the team, guidance and leadership will be necessary. This responsibility is entrusted to the new team captains.
Gill’s role of being captain holds significance to him.
“I believe it’s an honor,” he said. “I have been in this program for four years, and it’s great to finally be able to take another step in the footsteps of some of the guys I looked up to when I was younger.”
Gill believes quality leadership stems from courage, consistency, and positivity.
“If your teammates see you doing the workout, they’ll follow behind. We’re also always trying to be positive, and we’ve already had one team dinner with more on the way. It’s about bringing everyone together.”
Nate Gill ’26
“The number-one thing is just leading by example,” Gill said. “If your teammates see you doing the workout, they’ll follow behind. We’re also always trying to be positive, and we’ve already had one team dinner with more on the way. It’s about bringing everyone together.”
With school right around the corner, all athletes must maintain their focus and effort in practice even after school starts.
“Right now, it’s good because school hasn’t started yet,” he said. “Once classes and extracurriculars kick in, it’ll be about making sure everyone keeps that routine.”
Even for small things, like the upcoming Labor Day weekend, Gill wants to ensure that the team is consistent.
“Even this long weekend is a test—making sure guys still run so they don’t lose fitness.”
Despite the large number of Third Form athletes, Gill believes that this year is vital; a chance to lay the foundation to help the team compete at the top.
“It’s going to be a very fresh team,” he said. “We lost a lot of strong runners last year, but this freshman group is pretty amazing. Also, we are not the only ones who lost a lot of runners, so the Inter-Ac title could go to any team.”
Building year or not, the team still strives for success.
“Of course, we want to win,” Gill said. “However, equally if not more important is that we still want to be improving ourselves and getting faster and stronger.”
With their first meet coming on September 9th against Episcopal Academy and Penn Charter, their results will be a testament to their hard work and training from the preseason.