On November 7, the fall track season came to a close as the Boys and Girls Cross Country teams competed in their final meet. The occasion was also marked by “Senior Night,” a day that commemorated the senior runners and their last cross country season. This year’s seniors are Dipon Biswas, Isabelle Borgstedt, Jake Chang, Nikki Chang, Abiola Folami, Chloe Munoz, Ngawang Ghongwatsang, Amelia Wiszowaty, Arjun Goswami, Henry Lin, Hallie Lai, Shelley Yu, Avary Kwai, Tracy Mou, and Maggie Zheng. In light of the event, the seniors reflected on their experiences on the team. In light of the event, the seniors reflected on their experiences on the team.
Leading up to Senior Night, the Boys and Girls Cross Country teams had the Varsity 5K Van Cortlandt park race on October 23. On the Boys Cross Country team, captain Jake notably placed first and Arjun placed in fourth, qualifying the team for the City Championship. Jake went on to place twelfth in the City Championship race, further qualifying him for state competitions. The Girls Cross Country team also had notable accomplishments in the Queens Borough Championship with captains Chloe placing 5th, Nikki placing 7th, and Isabelle placing 10th; qualifying them for the City Championship race.
Reflecting on these races and experiences, Arjun said, “the medals were satisfying to get because I knew they were a product of all the work that I put in but most importantly, I am proud of the guys who showed up to practice day in and day out, and improved greatly from their first day there, especially the freshmen. It was great to see them constantly performing better and better and seeing their work pay off.”
Isabelle said, “I’ve witnessed our current seniors, who were once freshmen in the Indoor season of 2018, flourish into leaders and ambassadors. I’ve seen the team as a whole introduce new members by welcoming them to our family. The team has also evolved to foster positivity through words of encouragement and always looking out for each other.”
For Senior Night, the underclassmen prepared various gifts for the seniors ranging from posters to personalized gifts. These gifts serve as a token of appreciation for the dedication and leadership that the seniors contributed to their time on the team over the past four years.
The Girls Cross Country team captains also looked back on their last year on the team. Nikki said, “[I will miss] all the small moments that you can sometimes overlook. From traveling together to meets to the moments supporting each other after a really hard workout. Ultimately, it’s the people that I will miss most, [because] they make practices a much more enjoyable experience.”
Chloe said, “[The team is] your own little community. Especially with the craziness of the Townsend workload it was just so great to have older people help give perspective on things and now I get to play that role for our underclassmen. I also just love how close we get as the seasons progress and even when we are all dying from a workout I know in a couple of minutes we will all be laughing and talking together.”
The continuous camaraderie and everlasting friendships extend beyond just the field. Looking forward, the boy’s cross country team captain, Jake said, “[I hope to] see more kids stepping up and taking responsibility over the team. It would also be nice to return back to see familiar faces still on the team and for the number of kids running to be increased.” Excited for what is to come in following years, Dipon said, “[I wish to see the] cross country team continue to prosper and grow throughout the years. Beyond results I wish to see all the underclassmen take up leadership roles within the team and help future runners, so that we can continue to qualify for city championships every year.”
Despite the conclusion of the season, many of the seniors expressed that the feeling hasn’t fully materialized. “Honestly it hasn’t hit me that these will be my last couple of seasons at Townsend. It’s weird to picture something that has been a part of me for 4 years all come to an end. I know that I’m going to be so sad when the outdoor track season ends but for now I’m just trying to stay present in the seasons we still have together as a team,” Chloe said.
Nikki agreed, and said “I still have indoor and outdoor track, but I will definitely miss this season as it is my favorite of the three. Though, I am disappointed that I won’t be able to continue to try and beat my personal records for my high school career.”
With the conclusion of the cross country season, the runners will now have indoor and outdoor track to prepare and look forward to. With the winter season starting and the spring season right around the corner, there is still much to anticipate from these seniors.
Photos courtesy of Nikki Chang
