Marking the near-end of the cross country season, the GBL’s Championships were recently held. All eight teams–Everett, Malden, Medford, Somerville, Lynn English, Lynn Classical, Revere, and Chelsea–came together to run their last race of the season
Although everyone had their own personal victories in varsity boys race, Lucas Nunez really stood out. He placed fifth, meaning he was awarded a medal for being a GBL All-Star. Nunez finished the race with a time of 15:03, which was also a personal record for him.
“I’m most proud of becoming a ‘GBL All-Star’ and knowing I’m in the top 5 distance runners in the GBL,” Nunez said. His accomplishments throughout the season inspired the rest of the team to become better over time.
“During the beginning of the season, one of my goals was to medal, which I did accomplish, getting my first during an invitational,” Nunez said. “Then I also medaled at the GBL’s leading me to medal twice this season. Being able to run as fast as I have this season has been a huge surprise to me!”
The thought of getting a personal record was one of the biggest inspirations for the runners to try their ultimate hardest. Junior Jeremy Whitlow push himself hard enough. He placed 19th place with a time of 16:13. Whitlow states
“Looking back to the beginning of the season, the biggest thing I had accomplished was putting in more effort to my runs, not giving up or slowing down when I’m tired but pushing through,” Whitlow said, “which is what I did during the GBL’s.”
Junior Anthony Whitlow focused on pacing other runners who were near him. Whitlow placed 25th with a time of 16:46.
“I was pretty tired coming into the race but I was ready to run fast,” Whitlow said. “My main goal was just to see good improvement from last year so I believe I have accomplished that.”
Senior captain David Huezo Erazo’s dreams of wanting to go the fastest he could in the race inspired him to stay strong and to push himself. He placed 28th with a time of 17:01.
“I felt pretty nervous, as always, but I felt very excited as it was my last race for cross country,” Erazo said. “I didn’t necessarily have any specific goals in mind. Rather, I focused on doing my best and having fun.”
In addition to everyone’s happiness, it was also a sad day to see Erazo finish his last GBL Championship for cross country.
“I met many athletes, many of them who are now close friends,” Erazo said. “For this reason, I am grateful. Even though I am nearly graduating, I will never forget the memories that I have made with my teammates. I will always serve a smile on my face. I am very proud to reflect on my growth from my freshman year up until now in my senior year and am happy with where I am today because it truly shows my passion for running and how much it means to me.”
Sophomore Carlos Pagan Landeo placed 34th with a time of 17:32. “Looking back to the beginning of the season, I did have a goal and it was to get 40 seconds faster throughout the season which I accomplished during the GBL,” Pagan Landeo said.
Sophomore Dominico Delle Rose placed 41st with a time of 20:51. “I felt pretty nervous since it was the last race of the season,” Delle Rose said, “but my main goal was to not stop in the race like I did last year when I had a cramp”
Junior Bryan Lewis placed 42nd with a time of 22:28. “My main goal was to beat my previous time at the Medford course which was 21:22. Though, I didn’t, I’m proud of myself this season for getting better and better every week, and improving my mileage over time.”
In the junior varsity coed race, freshman Pratyush Darai finished 18th place with a time of 12:34.
“Since I joined the cross country later than the rest of the team, my goal for this race was to just hit a personal record and also try to run more consistently,” Darai said. “I’m proud that I tried my hardest this season and reached that goal.”
After the junior varsity race, it was time for varsity girls.
“I was absolutely petrified,” junior Akanksha Neupane said. “I was scared of not reaching my full potential. My goal in the race was to make a PR for the course and just to finish the race in general too. ” ”
Overall, this cross country season was such a great experience for Everett. The team has significantly improved since the beginning of the season, ending with new personal records, goals achieved, and the aspiration to become even better.
