After an exciting home invitational at Coginchaug on Sept. 20, Head Coach David Bellemare and the boys cross country team strives through their chemistry and will, looking forward to upcoming meets. Competitively, this year’s team in particular stands out due to the fact that the slowest to fastest runners’ finishing numbers are the closest they have been in quite a long time.

Varsity runners results ended with Owen Gonzales, junior, placing 21st, Bryce Lipka, sophomore, 31st, Connor Zolnik, senior, 41st, Jaden Astle, sophomore, 42nd, Kenny Jacek, freshman, 53rd, Levi Axelrod, junior, 63rd, and Isaac Cleveland, freshman, 70th, with the top three runners having respective times of 19:23.9, 20:26.0, and 20:51.5.

During the Cromwell meet, which took place on Sept. 15, the varsity lineup included Gonzales, Joshua Mann, Astle, Lipka, Will Dalles, Ty Seymour, and Benjamin Mariani.

For students, results don’t seem to be the only attraction to the cross country team. “Cross country practices and meets are always fun and exciting,” states senior captain Connor Zolnik. “We’re tight-knit and close… There is never a dull moment.”

“Team dynamic is incredibly important,” Zolnik continued. “Without a tight bond, the team is nothing. There are many traditions upheld by generations of runners, like the daily icebreaker. My favorite icebreaker is ‘What would you do for a Klondike bar?’”

Zolnik attributes part of a “somewhat rocky” start to the season to difficulty holding summer practices. Nonetheless, they pursue tiring runs around Durham, including Snakes, Short Block, Long Block, Old Blue Hills, and Ice Cream Block to name a few.