Cross Country veteran hopes to continue ‘winning culture’
Veteran Mason McKee ’23 runs towards victory in the Rams Invite
November 16, 2022
This year, the cross-country team started off a bit unstable as the team struggled at the first couple of meets. But things have all changed since the team won the Ram Invite, which is a huge motivation for them.
“Winning the Ram invite is a big turning point for us,” said Benny Willers ’08, head coach of the cross-country team.
We struggled at the first couple of meets and are starting to hit our stride. We meet some really good teams, so I’m pretty excited about the direction we are heading in! — Benny Willers '08, head coach of the cross-country team
All the members of the varsity team so far have shown great effort in the races, especially Mason McKee ’23 and Luke Grogan ’23, having placed 6th place and 8th in the Ram Invite, and leading the team to secure first place in the race.
McKee said, “The team is ecstatic. We barely lost at the Ram invitational my freshman year, and now I’m a senior and we’ve finally won at a race that has been a painful memory for years.”
Grogan added, “I’m feeling pretty good right now looking at our varsity team this year. This is our first win of the season and it was definitely a confidence booster.”
During the Ram Invite on Sept. 24, the frosh team also secured second place in the race. Although the junior varsity didn’t get high rankings, everyone strived to do their best and gave their all.
The girls’ frosh and the sophomore team also achieved fourth place in the Ram Invite, which will definitely be a booster to obtain a better result in the future.
Along with the new goals, a new coach is also added to support the team.
Nick Pellegrino, the assistant coach of the team, said, “I’m very impressed with the dedication and the work ethic in the team. They work hard all week and show their hard work in the race.”
Looking to the future, McKee added, “I believe the team is capable of making state again this year and I hope to instill a winning culture in our team for years to come.”
As the main objectives of the season, the team strives for finishing top three in the WCAL league, win CCS Championship, and place in the top 10 in the state meet.
