Cross country struggles at Knights Invitational

SEPT 27, MONTGOMERY COLLEGE GERMANTOWN---
The girls' cross country team finished ninth and the boys finished tenth out of 11 teams during the Knights Invitational at Montgomery College German- town on Sept 29.

The girls' team, led by senior Laurel Jefferson, defeated Wheaton High School and Einstein High School, as Jefferson finished with a time of 21:38 and placed third overall by passing three other runners after the first mile. Jefferson surpassed the girls' next best runner, junior Yeelan Ku, by 5:12.

According to Coach Angelique Bosse, Jefferson ran extremely well in the meet. "Laurel had a great race today. She had a goal in mind to do very well here. It was a good day for her," said Bosse.

The boys' team also beat Wheaton as Junior Matt Sheldon led the Blazers with a time of 19:03. However, Sheldon says the race could have been better had it not been for senior captain Gabe Mordan-Snipper's absence. "Even with top runner Gabe Mordan-Snipper having a prior commitment, the team did well. [The boys' team] still had two runners in the top 25 and ran well as a team," said Sheldon, who finished 19th overall.

Only two years after both varsity teams finished first in their division, both the boys' and girls' teams are 0-1 following disappointing losses to Damascus High School on Sept 18. Damascus' boys' team came in first overall at the Knights Invitational while Walter Johnson High School's girls' team also finished first.

Bosse was not pleased with the outcome of the meet and says it is due in part to a lack of determination. "I am disappointed in the team's performance," she said. "We were competitive last year but this year, the team has not shown a competitive spirit."

Junior Sara Yousefnejad believes Blair improved on its poor start this season. "The team hit some rough spots at the start of the season but we're really starting to come together," said Yousefnejad.