Cross Country Season Review 2005

The girls and boys cross country teams improved their records over last year, finishing up the season with 8-1 and 4-5 record, respectively. The girls had an especially successful regular season, with only one close loss to Magruder. Throughout the season, the runners worked hard to improve their times. "I think everybody was a lot more serious about running and practice," says coach Angelique Bosse.

On Oct. 22, the teams finished the regular season at the County Championships at Gaithersburg High School. Halsey Sinclair led the pack with a first place finish in 18:49, despite slippery and muddy conditions. Overall, the girls team placed 9th out of 19 and the boys 14th out of 23 team.

At the Maryland 4A west regional meet on Nov. 3, the girls and boys cross country teams placed 9th and 11th out of 12 teams Though neither team placed high enough to advance to the state meet, three Blair runners qualified for the state meet held Nov. 12 at Hereford High School. Juniors Ashlyn and Halsey Sinclair and Josh Uzzell finished in the top 25 percent of all runners in their races at regionals, with Ashlyn placing third and Halsey tenth out of 80 girls and Uzzell tenth out of 83 boys. At States, Halsey finished in 24th, Ashlyn in 27th, and Uzzell in 44th.

Although the team put in a lot of effort this year, the teams' poor finishes at the regional meet ended the season on a feeble note. "It was a little disappointing to get to the end of the season and not have all that hard work pay off," says Bosse.

Though the team did not achieve everything they hoped this season, some still look at it with a positive view. "It was a good developmental season," says junior Emmanuel Waktola. "We didn't accomplish all the goals we wanted but we grew as a team."

The expectations for next year are high since the lead runners for both the boys and girls teams will be returning. In addition, there was a marked increase in the number of girls on the cross country team this year, which according to Bosse are traditionally harder to attract to the sport. More girl runners give the team a depth and strength that it cannot have with only a few. "There's so much potential," says Bosse.

For next year, Bosse says, " I hope they [the team] continue to put in that effort and have that enthusiasm they had this year all along."