It’s a new season and the Hornets will be running on a new home turf, but there will be plenty of familiar faces returning to the Manchester Essex cross country teams this fall.
The boys team returns five of its top seven runners from a group that went 3-2 and competed in the All-State meeting in 2021, with seven of the total roster of 10 boasting varsity experience.
“With Finn O'Hara returning as our number one runner -- last year's Baker Division Runner of the Year -- joined by Charlie Lations and Logan Cooper, the boys should be very competitive,” explains Manchester Essex cross country coach Steve Whittey. “The team is experienced with mostly juniors and sophomores.”
The girls return six runners from last year’s squad that finished 2-3 and saw a handful of individuals reach the All-State meet.
“The girls’ team is still a young team with mostly freshmen and sophomores, but is expected to be competitive,” says Whittey.
Heading up a roster of 15 runners are standout performers Whitney Turner and Lassen Ando, both of whom participated in the All-State meet last year. Also of note is the addition of Caroline MacKinnon to the team.
“Caroline MacKinnon is a first-year cross country runner as a senior, but is expected to be a standout,” says Whittey. “She has been an indoor and outdoor track middle distance/distance runner earning All American status at Nationals last June for her fifth-place finish in the mixed 4X400 relay and anchoring the 800 leg of the girls second place sprint medley relay team.”
Both squads will get a chance to host meets at a new site in 2022: Ravenswood Park, located in the Magnolia portion of Gloucester. The boys and girls’ squads will begin their season on September 14 at Ravenswood against some stiff competition in Hamilton-Wenham.
“We are very excited to be on our new home course at Ravenswood,” explains Whittey. “We practiced on the course last Saturday, and we have our season opening meet there against Hamilton Wenham. I believe both teams have a good chance at winning: Their boys’ team is strong and may be the team to beat in the Baker Division. Their girls team lost their number one runner from last year, but they always field a very competitive team.”
While the hot and dry weather we’ve experienced for most of the summer shouldn’t affect running conditions at the start of the season, it could be an issue if it continues on into the fall.
“The dry conditions do not have much impact on running conditions but if the hot weather continues hydration and heat injuries are a major concern for distance runners,” says Whittey.
