By Jessie Lang ’18, Contributor
One of the largest cross country meets in the state, the Mason Cross Country Invitational, included over 50 different schools. Country Day performed fantastically. They finished 12th overall in the High School Girls Section 2 Varsity and the High School Boys Section 2 Varsity races, and 20th in the High School Boys Reserve Grades 9-10. This meet, on September 12th, 2015, adds another strong finish to the team’s season, which began with the Country Day Invitational, where they ran their way into 3rd place.
The varsity girls flew through the 3.1 mile Mason course, which included hay bale jumps and creek crossings. Lorae Stojanovic dashed across the finish line with a magnificent time of 23:28 and a big smile on her face. Emma Langhammer, new to the team, had an impressive run of 25:24. Anna Geohegan zoomed to the finish with a time of 25:45. Though Grace Gilbreath almost lost one of her shoes in a deep stream crossing, she finished with a spectacular 29:41 time . The girls’ team was a strong and powerful force in the meet, beating out opponents Graham and Hamilton.
The boys’ varsity team was just as successful, going head-to-head with conference rivals such as St. Bernard and CHCA. Charlie Sachs, one of the Country Day captains, sped to the finish with a marvelous time of 18:36, passing at least 20 runners in the last 100 meters. Andy Osborne, a freshman, had an amazing run of 19:13. Max Luebbers, a senior captain , finished with a fabulous 19:15 time. Fellow senior Cooper Ebersbach blazed through the course with a time of 21:42. The varsity boys were fierce runners and tough competition throughout the meet.
The boys’ junior varsity team also had a terrific run, defeating teams including New Richmond and Summit Country Day. Nick Cordea destroyed the course, earning an awesome time of 19:28. Alec Hamail, who has spent much of the cross country season recovering from a serious injury, blew the course away with 20:16, proving his incredible ability and integrity. Freshman Sean Stewart acquired another excellent score, 22:31, while fellow freshman Francis Burse rocketed past the finish line with a superb time of 24:32. The team consists of many new runners, including numerous freshmen. Everyone showed their outstanding skill and potential in the meet.
The Mason Cross Country Invitational was an extremely fun and gratifying time. Lorae said, “It felt like really hard-core racing, especially with wooded areas, creek crossings, and hay bales. Also, the kettle corn was really good.” (It totally was.) Team spirit was also plentiful , as you could spot many people cheering Country Day on in the crowd.
Cincinnati Country Day School delivered another electrifying meet, and will continue to achieve more throughout the year. The team next races on Saturday, September 19th, at Milford’s Pattison Elementary School.
