The Trojans lost against a talented Littleton team 33–22 on the 3.1-mile home course at the McCurdy Track Thursday, Oct. 12, but set new Bromfield course and personal records in a challenging race.
Sophomore Tessa McClain finishes with a strong kick in Tuesday’s meet against Lunenburg. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Facing a team with two of the best runners in the Mid-Wach League, Coach Matt Lynde knew it would be a tough race, but he said the girls performed incredibly well, as demonstrated by the slew of records they broke.
Five of the girls achieved new personal records, two ran a personal best of the year, and one beat the Bromfield girls course record. Sophomore Tessa McClain finished the race third overall, staying with the two front Littleton runners up until mile 2, but losing them after that. She did beat the best-ever Bromfield girls recorded time on the course, however, finishing at 20 minutes, 26 seconds.
Freshmen Helena Justicz and Hannah Beckman both achieved new personal records, coming in sixth and seventh, respectively. Justicz, with a time of 21:33, beat Beckman by just 0.06 seconds, as Beckman came in at the 21:39 mark. Seventh-graders Holly Fisher and Molly Squire also achieved personal bests, coming in with a 0.02-second difference at 22:39 and 22:41, respectively. Both were trailing behind a Littleton runner into the woods but came out of the woods ahead of her. Freshman Hannah Chiou was the fifth to set a personal record, finishing in 24, 40. Both seniors Sophie Beckman and Captain Julia Foley ran their best times of the year, while eighth-grader Aiyi Wang managed to match her time with that of her last race on this course.
Overall, Coach Lynde used this race “as a sort of barometer to see where we were at,” and he was happy with the progress. “Although we lost, all of the personal records and improved times demonstrate to me a willingness to compete. And we are going to need this mentality when we face them again at Leagues,” he said in a postmeet interview.
After the meet, the Bromfield girls’ records stood at 3–2 overall and 2–1 in their league, placing third in the Mid-Wach League’s Division D. The next and final dual meet was scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 17, followed by the Twilight Invitational meet Saturday, Oct. 21. The league race will take place in two weeks, bringing the season to a close.
Race placements
- 3. Tessa McClain, 20:06
- 6. Helena Justicz, 21:33
- 7. Hannah Beckman, 21:39
- 8. Holly Fisher, 22:39
- 9. Molly Squire, 22:41
- 13. Sophie Beckman, 24:03
- 15. Hannah Chiou, 24:40
- 17. Julia Foley, 27:03
- 18. Aiyi Wang, 28:32
League: 2–1
Overall: 3–2
Ivy Wang is a Bromfield senior.
