The varsity cross country boys team, consisting of sophomore Jackson Beatty, sophomore Fox Quattrone, sophomore Rafael Castro, junior Travis Knaggs, and junior Asher Beck, took first place in the 5K race at the George Calano—Collegiate School Invitational. Asher led the team to victory taking first place with a time of 16:19.2.

“This race made me proud to be on such a great team, and it showed me the importance of putting in a strong effort in order to see a good outcome,” Fox Quattrone said.

Though boys varsity brought home the gold, each team had a successful race and reached new personal milestones. The top 25 runners in each race with the fastest times were awarded a medal for their accomplishment. Sophomore Donia Karandikar on the girls junior varsity team received a medal and placed in the top 20. In Boys Junior Varsity, senior Colin MacKinnon, sophomore Alex Cheng, and freshman Ben Iaderosa each won a medal. Lastly, the Girls Varsity team secured two medals by freshman Abigail Nager and eighth grader Caitlin Morrow.

“As a spectator throughout the season, this race especially stood out and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the boys win- they looked very strong.” sophomore Maggie Yalmokas said. “I am excited to see them all race at Ivy Champs and NYSAIS.”

The race took place at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx where the majority of the team’s cross country meets occur. Van Cortlandt is a well-known course among runners for its numerous hills and steep descents. Despite the difficult terrain, Hackley’s cross country team looks forward to running at Van Cortlandt.

With two more meets left in the season, the team is excited to show off their hard work and dedication at Ivy’s 4 and NYSAIS.