by Annie Cox ’24 and Margot Ross ’24

December 6, 2023

On the morning of November 2, the boys’ and girls’ cross country teams geared up for the state championship. After placing as runner-up for regionals trailing behind Columbia Academy, the boys’ team was hungry for a win. 

USN boys’ state team consisted of Simon Fox ‘24, Eli Galentino ‘24, Clay Payne ‘25, Caspar Schmidt ‘25, Jack Fruin ‘27, Griffin Davidson ‘27, and Drew Zwerner ‘28.

Going into the meet, hopes were high from many of the runners. 

“We have incredible depth that other teams don’t have… some seasoned vets, and we’ve got several young guys on the team who are really doing amazing,” Galentino ‘24 said. 

Boys’ Head Coach George Flatau expressed that if the boys had a consistent performance at the state meet, they could at least take second—but the possibility of a first-place finish would partially depend on Columbia’s performance as opposed to USN’s. 

“I was really pleased with our performance at Regions…[Columbia doesn’t] have a ton of depth, so if we happen to have a really good day at State, and one or two of their guys are a little off, I don’t think they have room to handle that,” Flautau said. 

The boys dialed into their race after the starting gun was fired. The team’s average time outperformed last year’s State squad, which won the championship. Seven of the eight runners achieved a personal record. 

Galentino and Fruin got out fast and charged to the front of the pack. Prior to the race, Fruin was projected to take the lead for the team. This, however, did not happen, as Fruin tripped and fell behind around the one-mile mark. Fruin recovered to finish just 20 seconds behind Galentino. Galentino (8th) and Fruin (11th) both garnered All-State honors.

“The first mile was crazy. I haven’t run a first mile that tactical and technical with that much jostling…we were all jockeying for a position. Then, once the race progressed…I was just trying to hang on and stay as high up as possible,” Galentino said. “When Jack fell, there was no time to process it…I was just like, ‘I hope he can hope back up and get going.’” 

Meanwhile, younger powerhouse duos led the middle of the USN pack. Davidson and Zwerner were consistently on pace with each other throughout the race, finishing 17th and 18th, respectively- Payne and Schmidt next finishing under ten seconds apart at 22nd and 25th, respectively. 

All eight state runners did complete the race in under 19 minutes, showing the depth that Galentino boasted about.

Despite this, the team’s depth was not enough to defeat the Columbia Academy team, which won the title with 31 points. But it was enough for them to secure a comfortable second place finish overall, with 76 points. 

The USN girls’ team consisted of Liv O’Hara ‘25, Morgan McAteer ‘26, Madeline Wiseman ‘27, Chloe Cmelak ‘24, Grace Boero ‘24, Olivia Hess ‘24, and Jackie Seale ‘27. Like the boys, the team entered the state meet with high expectations. They were seeded to take home the State title after a historic victory at the Middle Region Championships in October, where they outran the competition to secure their first Region victory since 2011. 

USN Girls’ Head Coach Lindsey Bachman believed that all the girls had to do to secure a win at State was keep their performance consistent. 

“I think what I’m really looking forward to the most is watching them do what they’ve been doing all season long, which is racing for each other, and putting it all out there on the line…they just need to do what they already know what to do,” Bachman said. 

While the Sanders Ferry Park course’s hilly terrain had the potential to pose a challenge to the Tigers, Bachman emphasized that the team had been targeting their exercises to do well on the course. 

We’ve been training on hills, and I think the girls are really ready…the way that we responded at the Region course, which was just as hilly, was phenomenal. The hills are where everyone tends to settle and break, but that’s where we tend to make our move, so I think that will be a strategic strong point,” Bachman said. 

Just before the girls were set to toe the starting line, Bachman expressed her pride in the sense of community that the girls’ team had built throughout the season.

“They are a team in every sense of the word…this is the best meet of the year because they are the best,” Bachman said.  

It became clear throughout the race that the strong bonds between the Tigers didn’t just create a great community—they genuinely proved to be a source of competitive strength. The girls’ team performance at the state meet was defined by a strong sense of depth and a set of key dynamic duos. 

The premier duo to watch was Wiseman and McAteer. Both had consistently dominant finishes throughout the season, with Wiseman and McAteer placing 3rd and 5th at the Middle Region Meet, respectively. They stayed on pace with each other throughout the meet, with McAteer finishing just 12 seconds ahead of Wiseman in an unexpected conclusion to the race.

Wiseman and McAteer expressed that their partnership was integral to their performances.  

“I feel like we really pushed each other on the hills…and made each other keep going with a strong stride. I feel really proud of everyone about the outcome today,” Wiseman said. 

McAteer agreed. 

“Madeline was always in my sight, and it was really helpful to be running close to her at the end,” McAteer said.

Both McAteer (6th) and Wiseman (8th) earned All-State honors. 

Though O’Hara had finished in between Wiseman and McAteer at the Middle Region meet, she flew solo during the State race, trailing thirty seconds behind them. Next were Hess and Boero, whose paces only started to match each others’ around the middle of the course. Similar to Wiseman and McAteer, Hess expressed that Borero’s presence allowed her to push herself throughout the race. 

“I think all my teammates really pushed me…and Grace and I really chugging it at the end pushed me to finish. Grace and I always finish pretty close in timing, and the last 100 meter stretch was really me feeding off of her energy, and her feeding off of mine,” Hess said. 

The girls all secured times under 23 minutes, with an average around 21 minutes. They all finished within almost three minutes of each other, showing their depth as a whole state team. 

Despite a strong performance from the five scoring runners—with five girls running lifetime personal records—the Tigers were tied with Columbia Academy for second when the scoring began. Webb’s team, led by State record-holder Abby Faith Cheeseman, defeated USN by a slim margin of seven points. 

To break the tie between the second and third place teams, officials use the placement of the sixth runner on each respective team. Cmelak, the Tigers’ sixth runner, finished two minutes and twenty-six places ahead of her Columbia Academy counterpart, giving the tiebreaker to USN. Yet again, depth allowed the Tigers to secure a strong finish.