Cross Country Wins 21st EIL Championship Title

Congratulations to the Winsor cross country team who finished first with a low score of 38 points to secure their 21st Eastern Independent League (EIL) championship. 

On Friday, October 31, the team travelled to Chase Farm in Lincoln, RI where the Wheeler School hosted the championships. “Winsor entered the race as the strong favorite given our dominant, undefeated EIL season,” said longtime Coach Moriah Musto P’30. “Nevertheless, we were prepared for a competitive meet as the level of racing in the EIL has gotten steadily stronger in the last five years.”

Gabrielle Peskin ’28 and Gracie Zhou ’26 took the race out hard and were followed by a Portsmouth Abbey School runner for the first one and a half miles. Behind this trio the race had many packs and movement. Gabrielle defended her title with a sparkling 19:31 time and Gracie held on for second in a time of 19:38, despite two fast-finishing Newton Country Day School runners who ended up placing third and fourth. 

Portsmouth Abbey made a strong push as it put three athletes in the top 15, however Winsor had four runners by the mile mark and held that with Leila Andermann ’27 and Tenney Bluman ’26 finishing eight and ninth, which earned them All League honors. Avery Fantasia ’29 shut down scoring in 18th place with Amanda Chen ’30 and Ellie Flaim ’30 serving as displacers in 21st and 24th places respectively. Ultimately, Winsor had seven runners in before every school’s fourth. 

“Many Winsor runners ran well to secure the win and bring the trophy back to Winsor,” said Coach Musto, who was particularly proud of the JV finishers who went 1–7, calling their efforts a “master class” in running. The JV sweep was led by Chloe Connolly ’29 in 28th place, Carys Musto ’30 in 29th place, Julica Hatabu ’28 in 33rd place, Sophie Klempner-Africa ’30 in 41st place, Julia Oh ’26 in 43rd place, Carmel Harrison ’27 in 44th place, and Berit Morrissey ’27 in 46th place. 

Lara do Rosario ’26 (47th) and Lily-Rose Pepin ’27 (49th) were close behind with Emma Yu ’28 (52nd) and Anna Oh ’28 (54th) both breaking the 24-minute mark as well. Junia Kielsmeier-Jon ’30 (56th), Cindy Jin ’28 (60th) and Anna Wutkiewicz ’29 (66th) all finished in the top half of the field of 117 with Iris Shen ’26 (76th), Ayaka Hatabu ’28 (77th), Livy Paterniti ’26 (83rd), Chrissy Mayer ’28 (92nd), and Bailey Hall ’28 (108th) all running strong as well. 

“This incredible depth is a testament to how hard the athletes work and everyone’s investment in the EIL win regardless of team position,” shared Coach Musto.

When the scores were tallied, Winsor (38 points) was ahead of Portsmouth Abbey (92 points), Newton Country Day (102 points) and the rest of the EIL. Winsor’s margin of 54 points is the largest for the school since 2015. 

“We are so grateful to the many parents and fans who came down to Rhode Island to support the team,” said Coach Musto. Looking ahead, the team will race at the New England championship—put on by the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council—at the Taft School in Watertown, CT.