9/13/08 – The 31st Newark Academy Invitational was run in warm, humid conditions on the campus of Newark Academy in Livingston New Jersey.  The girls’ varsity race saw a close competition among three schools, with Blair’s 61 points allowing the Bucs to edge out Pingry (62) and Chatham High School (64) to emerge as champions.  Blair’s first three runners – Quinn McKay and captains Heather Britt and Ruthie Mesnard – all finished in the first nine places, with Blair’s fourth runner, Christelle Akon-Akech,  earning a medal for her 16th place.  Newcomer Jackie Florio rounded out the scoring for the Bucs, finishing 23rd in the first race of her career.  Veterans Morgan Jefferson and Julie Clothier ran strongly as Blair’s 6th and 7th varsity runners and look to improve their times as the season progresses.  With the largest girls team in school history, Blair also entered eleven runners in the junior varsity race.  Freshman Claudia Russell medaled by finishing fifth, followed in order by Kate Young, Pai Suksak, Ho-Chen Tseng, Erin Smith, Jackie Gunn, freshman Ali Johnson, Kiana Mendoza, Rachael Tseng, Melissa Collins and Rita Maquieira.  With so many runners, the season looks bright for the Bucs.

 

 

9/20/08 – The Bucs take third at the Canterbury Invitational. 

 

The 36th annual Canterbury Invitational was held in ideal conditions – a brilliantly sunny fall afternoon with low humidity and temperatures in the high 60’s – in New Milford Connecticut.  One hundred twenty-seven girls from eighteen schools joined Blair in one of New England’s most beautiful showcases for the sport of cross country.  All week the team had trained for Canterbury’s famous hills so the girls were prepared to run them to their advantage.  Quinn McKay and Heather Britt both made their moves coming out of the hills to place 9th and 10th respectively; Ruthie Mesnard, though boxed in during the wooded portion of the race, recovered to run her fastest time ever in her final appearance at the course; Christelle Akon-Akech and Jackie Florio, in their inaugural races at Canterbury, both ran sub-23 minute times; and Claudia Russell (moving up from the junior varsity) and Julie Clothier ran solid strategic races up the hills and onvto the flats.  The Bucs’ third place team finish was Blair’s highest ever at the event, as was the five-girl average of 22 minutes flat.  With such a strong pack (Blair’s first five runners were separated by only 1:33) the team looks forward to its upcoming race at the Gill St. Bernard’s Invitational.

 

 

9/24/08 - The Bucs earn a team victory at Gill.  Gill St. Bernard’s School’s picturesque campus in Gladstone, New Jersey, provided the setting for the annual GSB Invitational.  The course was ideal for spectators to watch the runners and cheer them on to fast times as it wound around fields, past the tennis courts, before finishing on a soccer field.  Quinn McKay and Heather Britt, with their 1 – 2 finish, led the Bucs to the team victory.  Christelle Akon-Akech and Jackie Florio finished in the fifth and sixth spots, respectively, each one dipping below twenty two minutes for the first times in their careers.  With Ruthie Mesnard ill and unable to race, Claudia Russell filled in admirably as Blair’s fifth runner, and Julie Clothier improved on her time from the Canterbury race to finish as Blair’s final varsity runner.  In the junior varsity race, Ali Johnson led the way with a time of 26:55, followed by Jackie Gunn’s 27:29.  Next were two newcomers, Emi LaFountain and Cindy Choi, both finishing the first races of their careers,  Pai Suksak, Kiana Mendoza, Rachel Tseng and Melissa Collins completed the field and brought to a conclusion another wonderful day of running.

 

 

10/4/08 - Monmouth County’s Holmdel Park provided the setting for the Shore Track Coaches Cross Country Invitational, the largest one-day gathering of high school cross country runners in the state.  On a day perfect for running – cool and overcast – Blair sent sixteen girls to the starting line to participate in three separate races.  First to run at 9:10 were seven members of the junior varsity, led across the finish line by Jenny Hsu in her first race of the year.  Other members of the group included Emi LaFountain, Jackie Gunn, Rachael Tseng, Erin Smith, Kiana Mendoza and Melissa Collins.  At 10:25 the gun went off for the 115 runners and twelve complete teams in the Girls’ Varsity F race.  Heather Britt celebrated her October 4^th birthday as Blair’s first finisher, lopping 1:29 off her previous best time over the demanding course.  Quinn McKay, despite being hampered by the adverse effects of medication she was taking, was next, cutting 1:02 from her personal best time.  Third, fourth and fifth for the Bucs were Christelle Akon-Akech, Jackie Florio and Claudia Russel in their first races at Holmdel.  Julie Clothier, an experienced veteran with three races up the opening hill and through the daunting “bowl” on her resume, was Blair’s sixth varsity finisher.  Finally, three freshmen completed the shorter freshmen course in their race at 12:40.  Ali Johnson led teammates Jen Rencis and Grace Kim (both of whom were participating in the inaugural races of their careers) to the finish line to bring another fine day of running to an appropriate conclusion.

 

 

10/8/08 – Blair girls run away with a victory over Hill.  Blair opened its dual meet schedule with its first home meet of the season against The Hill School of Pottstown, Pennsylvania.  With the construction of its new fields and gymnasium finally finished, Blair was able to return to the traditional four-loop course it had used for many years until interrupted last year.  Quinn McKay and Heather Britt led the race right from the start and finished in a dead heat with each other.  Jackie Florio, running one of her strategically strongest races of the season, sealed the team victory by completing a three-girl sweep of the top spots.  Following Jackie were three Hill girls and then Blair’s fourth and fifth place runners, Kate Young and Julie Clothier.  Today’s race marked Kate’s first varsity finish of the year and Julie’s first time among the scoring members of the varsity team.  Tricaptain SarahBeth Clark, displacing Hill’s number four runner, was next, with Morgan Jefferson, displacing Hill’s fifth scorer, securing the final varsity place.  The overall score, 21 – 37 in favor of Blair, left the Bucs with a 1 – 0 record and high hopes for success during the next two weeks of dual meet racing.  The day was notable also for the number of junior varsity runners completing the race.  Jenny Hsu was once again the first junior varsity girl across the line, leading a group that included Jackie Gunn, Cindy Choi, Emi LaFountain, Rachael Tseng, Pai Suksak and Ali Johnson.  The next group was brought home by Melissa Collins, and included Kiana Mendoza and two girls who successfully navigated their first 5k races of the season, Grace Kim and Jen Rencis.

 

10/11/08 – On a bright sunny autumn day with the foliage providing a colorful backdrop, Blair faced their MAPL rival The Hun School of Princeton in a second consecutive dual meet in front of the home crowd.  Even though Hun did not bring a full complement of runners, the Bucs ran hard and tested out some new strategies for maximizing their performances on their home course.  Heather Britt and Quinn McKay again finished in a dead heat in first, followed by Jackie Florio in one of her best races to date.  Christelle Akon-Akech, back from a one-race hiatus, tuned up for difficult races next week by placing fourth for the team, followed by Claudia Russell, Julie Clothier and Kate Young in the fifth, sixth and seventh spots.  A large junior varsity contingent was led home by SarahBeth Clark, who again ran her personal best ever time over a full 5000 meter course.  Jackie Gunn, Ali Johnson and Rachael Tseng (also running a personal best) acquitted themselves well, as did Pai Suksak, Jen Rencis, Melissa Collins, Kiana Mendoza and, completing her first race of the year, Lela Godsey.

 

10/15/08 - On another beautiful fall day in Blairstown, the Bucs faced off against over forty girls from Gill St. Bernard’s School, Stuart Country Day School, the Northstar Academic Charter School, and local rival North Warren Regional High School.  Many girls ran their fastest times of the year as Blair won three of the dual meets (against Gill St. Bernard’s, Stuart Country Day and Northstar Academic) to go with their loss to North Warren.  Blair’s top three of Quinn McKay, Heather Britt and Christelle Akon-Akech went out fast with North Warren’s top two girls, eventually placing third, fourth and fifth overall in the race.  Fourth for Blair was Julie Clothier, followed by SarahBeth Clark with her first-ever varsity scoring position in fifth place for the team.  Sixth for Blair was Ho-Chen Tseng, returning after missing several weeks with an ankle sprain, with Jackie Gunn capturing the final varsity slot.  Junior varsity runners Ali Johnson and Jen Rencis continued their improvement by slicing 49 seconds and 2:10, respectively, from their previous best times.  The final group of Rachael Tseng, Lela Godsey, Melissa Collins, Kate Young, Grace Kim and Kiana Mendoza finished not far behind, bringing to a close a fine day for the team.

 

Blair defeated Gill St. Bernard's 29 - 30, Northstar Academic Charter and Stuart by default, and lost to North Warren 24 - 35

 

10/18/08 - The girls’ cross country team put a most appropriate coda on the most demanding stretch of the season – five races in fourteen days – with their first victory ever over the Lawrenceville School.  Fall 2008 has given us some of the best running weather in memory, and today was no different, as the leaves at their peak provided a beautiful setting for the race on Lawrenceville’s Parents’ Day in Lawrenceville, N.J.  Heather Britt and Quinn McKay led the race from start to finish, responding to every move from Lawrenceville’s first girl with surges of their own, to finish in 20:33 and 20:45, respectively.  Ruthie Mesnard and Christelle Akon-Akech also ran their fastest times to place fourth and fifth overall and bring the team near victory.  Race-of-the-day honors went to Claudia Russell, who moved up three places over the final loop to finish eighth, improving her best 5k time by well over a minute.  Julie Clothier and Jenny Hsu secured the final two varsity places in the 20 – 35 victory.  Blair’s large junior varsity team – eleven girls strong, most running their best times of the year – demonstrated the program’s depth and the enthusiasm that runs throughout.  Ho-Chen Tseng continued her comeback with a fine race; she was followed closely by Kate Young and Jackie Gunn (who dropped a minute from her previous personal best).  Next were Ali Johnson, Cindy Choi, Rachael Tseng and Pai Suksak, with Lela Godsey and Melissa Collins finishing together, both under 30 minutes for the first time.  When Kiana Mendoza crossed the line the race was complete and the girls celebrated a well-earned victory.

 

 

10/29/08 – Blair runners place 2nd in MAPL. Chilly weather greeted the Bucs as they lined up for the 11th annual MAPL Championship race on Peddie’s golf course in Hightstown, New Jersey.  Knowing that it would be a close race among the five schools with complete teams, Blair ran with heart right from the start.  Heather Britt and Quinn McKay went out with the lead group, ultimately finishing sixth and seventh, separated by only one second.  Blair’s next three runners – Ruthie Mesnard, Claudia Russell and Christelle Akon-Akech – competed gallantly for each place, battling competitors from Peddie and Lawrenceville along with Hill’s strong pack.  Blair was buoyed by the return from injury of Nikki Weiner, who entered her first race of the year to place sixth for the team and the courage of Julie Clothier who ran despite a lingering illness.  The team matched their previous best result at the race by finishing second behind Peddie, just nosing out Hill, Lawrenceville and Mercersburg, in that order.  As usual for the 2008 girls’ team, the junior varsity also ran well.  Despite starting off during a brief bone-chilling downpour, seniors Melissa Collins and Ho Chen Tseng shepherded home a strong squad of Cindy Choi, Lela Godsey, Jackie Gunn, Jenny Hsu, Ali Johnson, Grace Kim, Emi LaFountain, Kiana Mendoza, Jen Rencis, Pai Suksak, Rachael Tseng and Kate Young, many of whom ran their fastest times of the year.  The team looks forward to two more races – the New Jersey Prep State Championship and the annual dual meet against Peddie – before the season ends in just over a week.

 

 

11/5/08 - Running over their home course in Blairstown, Blair placed 7th in the A Division race of the New Jersey Prep States Championships.  The team of Heather Britt, Quinn McKay, Ruthie Mesnard, Claudia Russell and Julie Clothier averaged 22:52 in conditions – 60^o and humid – more appropriate for September than for the first week of November.  With two girls sitting out the race to get healthy for Saturday’s season finale, Sarah Beth Clark and Jackie Gunn acquitted themselves well as the team’s sixth and seventh runners, each running her personal best time on the course.

 

 

11/8/08 - Overcast skies and a light rain could not dampen the festive atmosphere at Blair Academy as the Bucs faced off against rival The Peddie School at the annual Peddie Day competitions. The race started and ended on Blair’s new track, providing students, parents and alumni outstanding views of the runners during the race.  For the second straight year a record number of Blair runners – 21 girls, enough for three full teams! - took part in the event.  Although Peddie ultimately triumphed by the score of 24 – 31, Blair ran with heart and determination, never backing down from the challenges presented by a very strong opponent.  Heather Britt and Quinn McKay led the team, as they had all season, valiantly trying to stay with a runner who had finished a full 45 seconds ahead of them in the State meet just three days beforehand.  Ruthie Mesnard and Christelle Akon-Akech came in close together as Blair’s third and fourth runners, followed by Claudia Russell in an outstanding effort as Blair’s final scorer. Nikki Weiner, showing that she was fully recovered from injury, was a strong sixth girl, and Kate Young, dropping her previous best time on the course by over a minute, captured the final varsity spot. Julie Clothier led Morgan Jefferson, also back from injury, to the top two junior varsity positions for the day, with Jackie Gunn and Cindy Choi close behind in personal best times. Ho-Chen Tseng gutted out another race despite the lingering effects of a sprained ankle, just in front of a trio of girls – Ali Johnson, Jen Rencis and Lela Godsey – who all ran their best ever times on the course. Emi LaFountain, Rachael Tseng, Melissa Collins, Kiana Mendoza, Grace Kim and Pai Suksak demonstrated the results of a good season of solid training by all finishing ahead of Peddie’s final runner and brought the meet, and the season, to a close.