The cross country team, though sometimes a bit underrated, is completely deserving of as much recognition as any team at Berkeley Carroll.  With 18 members this fall, BC was able to field a full girls and boys team for the first time in a few years.

Almost everyday after school, the team ran together in Prospect Park.  This season, they also attended six regular season meets, where they faced off against various other schools in the ACIS league.  At every meet, each teammate participated in a 5K race.  Even though running is considered a solitary sport, there is still a strong sense of comradery.  Senior Samantha Schreiber explains, “[we were] a lot closer than any other team I’ve been on, and it was really great because we were all super supportive of each other.  Whenever I crossed the finish line, I would hear everyone else cheering me on!”

Although there are many team members who stand out for their exemplary athletic talent, to Coach Sanchez, the teammates who are fully committed to training regularly and improving their times are the most valued. This season, he was especially proud of the two most improved runners: Aaron Goldin, a junior, and Chloe Shane, a freshman.  Over the course of this season alone, Aaron went from being the fifth or sixth man on the team (which means that in meets, he was the fifth to finish for our school) to the second man, which is a remarkable feat.  Chloe, who just began running for the cross country team, joined a bit later in the season, but hung with the rest of the team as if she had been training all summer.  In just under two months, she was able to shave three minutes off her original time.  “[Cross country] was a great opportunity to get some exercise and meet new people,” she says.  Both of these two runners stand out for their athletic ability as well as their unwavering commitment.

However, this team would not have been what it was without the leadership of the five seniors: Emma Bessire, Sunny Birdi, Jacob Friedman, Samantha Schreiber, and Myles Zavelo.  Stephanie Aquino, a junior on the team, can attest to this: “they were really motivating and they always led by example by showing up and running their hardest.  They will be very missed next year!”

All in all, this has been the cross country team’s strongest season yet.  In their last regular season meet, BC beat Avenues, which is usually a powerhouse team in cross country.  After this victory, they headed on to the ACIS championships, where they represented Berkeley Carroll well and ran very competitively.  Looking ahead, Coach Scott and Coach Sanchez would like to see the team continue to grow and improve.  Coach Sanchez’s goal is to get several girls to run under twenty-two minutes and three boys to run under twenty minutes.  At the rate this team is going, there is no doubt that they will be able to achieve this and more!