The Cross Country fall season started off slowly but they have been picking up steam for the past few months. It may have not been the start they worked looking for, however, in the past meets across Vermont and Maine. The team has proven its ability to perform at the highest level and compete for the State Championship this upcoming weekend.
Many Harwood students scored personal bests, or PBs: an overwhelming majority of Highlanders, including senior Atticus Ellis and sophomore Brody Hackett did so.
“Every boy but two on the team PR(personal best) at Belfast this year, which lifted up a bunch of people’s spirit before states” says senior Atticus Ellis.
Common Ground had the opportunity to sit down with several Highlanders to talk about the x-country season. We were curious about the highs and lows of the cross-country season.
We asked Senior Captain Atticus Ellis what his highlights of the season have been so far. He said the highlight of the year has been a trip up to Belfast, Maine that the team looks forward to every year.
The point of the trip is to compete in a massive full-day race involving 50+ schools from around New England; but the reason this race is the highlight of the season is when they travel to Maine, they spend the night in a hotel and also go out to dinner, making it a great team bonding experience. The majority of Harwood’s runners who participated in the Maine race set personal records for themselves on the Belfast course. It’s a hugely competitive race and this is a major accomplishment for the team.
Harwood Union High School has a very strong history of Boys and Girls Cross Country teams, the girl’s team having won the state championship a few years ago in 2021. They also had the Gatorade Athlete of the Year in 2021. Since then they have not gotten to the top of the podium at states, however, many team members are hopeful before the Saturday Championship.
The team has two very strong young runners: Brody Hackett and Vince Wing. “Skeaping for the boy’s team, especially the future is pretty bright, we have some very fast runners, we have Vince Wing who’s up and coming, and Brody Hackett who is doing pretty well,” said Atticus Ellis commenting on how looks for next season.
We asked Brody what he thought about the future of the team and he seemed very optimistic. “We have a rising sophomore that doing really well, and another 8th grade that nice coming up,” says Brody.
The team is always looking for new members whether you want to compete in a race or just want the team community. With the team’s amazing history and dazzling future, joining is always a good choice.
