Girls’ cross country, 5-4, finished 14th at States.

Math teacher Brandon Mogayzel, the head coach, said that setting preseason goals was an important step in their road to improvement. “Our objectives are always to be competitive in the Bay State Conference and make our strongest attempt to reach the All-State meet, both of which we accomplished this year,” he said.

Mogazyel knew it would be a challenge to qualify for the State meet. “We had to finish fourth in Eastern Mass to accomplish that, which we did.”

The team finished 14th at the All-State meet; sophomores Vivian Kane and Charlotte Kouroriez led the way with times of 20:09 and 20:41, finishing 26th and 51st respectively. Senior Helena Teixeira-Dasilva, a captain with seniors Kendra Abbott, Lucy Bronstein, and Sonya Gelfand, also cracked the top 100 with a sub-21 minute time.

“If we had some miraculous performances, we might have been able to move up to the top 10,” said Mogayzel.

According to Mogayzel, the team’s ability to stay healthy was a big advantage. “This was definitely one of the healthiest seasons we have ever had,” he said. “There was a lack of real significant season-ending or season-halting injuries. We stayed really healthy and therefore there were a lot more people improving.”

Mogayzel emphasized the captains’ efforts in creating a positive environment for the team. “They demonstrated great leadership, dedication, and good communication,” said Mogayzel. “It was arguably one of our finest seasons with a lack of conflict and drama on the team.”