From Nicole Falcaro:

Hi Team,

From Westfield to West Bronx, from Center City to New York City, yesterday was a great day to race!

Sunday, 11/18: USATF New England Cross Country Championships: Stanley Park, Westfield, MA

The cross country team had an early wakeup for a road trip to Westfield, Massachusetts Sunday for the 2012 USATF New England Cross Country Championships. A brisk morning turned into a warmer day; as temperatures rose, clothes were shed. As the time neared closer to the race start, anticipation rose for the fast, dry, mostly flat course of Stanley Park.

Six porta-potties was the biggest obstacle for women’s squad of 11 ladies, who placed first in the meet with an incredibly low score of 39 points. Bathrooms and PRs were shared by almost everyone, with the top seven women all sub-22 minutes on the 6K course, and the top 3 sub-21! “The sound of someone doing jumping jacks in the porta-potty next to me was a bit unnerving, but I didn’t let it affect my race” said Nicole Falcaro.

Christina Argueta was also very focused. “We had such a solid little pack which was great! Having my teammates around me in the woods loop was incredibly helpful. Each time I would fall a few steps behind her, Ivette [Mejia] would wave me back up to her side, which was awesome.” Andrea Bradshaw liked the fast course, though it was not fast everywhere: “The race seemed to go pretty well for everyone – it was a very fast course! However, the long grass loop at the end was really tough, mentally.”
Cat Beck sums up the team results quite nicely: “My favorite moment from the day was when the New Balance Boston coach came up to me with a wide-eyed look after the race and said something to the effect of, ‘OMG, YOUR TEAM IS SO FREAKING GOOD THIS YEAR!!!!’”

 

Sunday, 11/18: Fred Lebow Cross Country Championships, Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx, NY

Maria Jangsten led the women’s team to the first place team finish with her overall eighth place finish, followed by Amanda Kennedy and Stephanie Yang. Steph and Roberta Little were first and third in their respective age groups.

Your CPTC Cross Country Subordinate Assistant to the Captain Co-captain,

Nicole