The Bromfield girls cross-country team kicked off its official season with a 23-36 win against Maynard Wednesday, Oct. 14, on its home course at Harvard Park.
Bromfield senior Kaitlyn Ostrowski in a recent race. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
After waiting more than seven months to race, the team had its sights set on a competitive first meet. Out of concern for COVID-19, the Midland-Wachusett League created new groupings for regular season competition that coincidentally mix Division 2 schools like Bromfield and Division 1 schools like Marlborough. The “pods” that replaced traditional conferences match towns based on geography in an attempt to curb possible spread of the coronavirus. This year, Bromfield will face Maynard, Nashoba Regional, Advanced Math and Science Academy (AMSA), Marlborough, and Hudson, rather than Littleton, Murdock, Lunenburg, Tyngsbororough, and Gardner.
Head coach Matt Lynde said, “I was excited to get the season up and running because I knew the team was strong, especially the core of the team who have put in tough miles over the summer and fall.”
Riding the high of an undefeated season ending in a league championship last year, Lynde expects nothing short of a repeat, as the coaches are hoping to plan an end-of-season “pod” league championship. “The attitudes these girls bring to practice every day shows through the hard work they put in and their determination as a whole,” said Lynde.
With a staggered start due to COVID-19 restrictions, the runners were sent out in waves of 10 athletes, each one minute apart. Senior Kaitlyn Ostrowski led the front pack early on, with sophomore Molly Squire, eighth-grader Emma Squire, freshman Marissa Flynn, and senior captain Helena Justicz following.
During the first 2 miles, the team’s goal was to “stay with the top Maynard runners and settle into a pace with them,” explained Lynde. Ostrowski, who led the entire race, said afterward: “After so many delays I wasn’t expecting an actual meet, yet when we arrived, I felt confident. I knew my team, and I knew the months of work we had all put in over the summer for that moment; I knew we were going to put up a good fight.”
The course finishes with a 200-meter stretch on the track, always promising a sprint to the finish. One by one, the girls crossed the finish line, with Ostrowski in first place, winning the 5-kilometer race with a time of 21 minutes, 46 seconds (21:46). Lynde added after the race: “Kaitlyn deserves every win she gets this year after all the work she put in over the summer. Losing her next year will be a big loss, but the foundation of the team is young.” Ostrowski was followed by two Maynard runners.
The next four spots were claimed by Bromfield runners, starting with Molly Squire with a time of 22:19, Emma Squire (22:20), seventh-grader Cate Corbett (22:38.5), and eighth-grader Camille Bradley (22:38.7).
Senior Hannah Beckman crossed the line ninth (23:39), followed by eighth-grader Isabel Jackson (23:54), who rounded out the top 10.
The girls were scheduled for another race at Nashoba Regional High School on Wednesday, Oct. 21.
Molly Squire is a Bromfield sophomore and a member of the girls cross-country team.
