Boys' Cross Country Takes Second Place at Interschols as Gavenas ('25) Sets Course Record
Andover boys' cross country competed in the NEPSTA Division I XC Championships at Hotchkiss on a perfect day for a 5K, and after battling in an extremely competitive field, Andover boys took second place.
Leading the way for Andover--as he has all year and as he has for his entire four years with the program--Captain Tam Gavenas ('25) paced the field, running brilliantly up front to take the win and capture the course record by more than 50 seconds. Arashi Hunter ('25), Andover's second, also went under the previous course record, taking fifth overall. Third for Andover, Luke Williamson ('25) ran the race of his career to take fourteenth--and all-New England honors, along with Gavenas and Hunter. Arun Kapoor ('25) and Charlie Gillick ('27) were next for Big Blue, finishing inside the top 30. Robert Budzinski ('26) and Sebastian Lemberger ('25) rounded out Andover's top seven with strong finishes as well. Andover boys' Varsity took second, scoring 75 points.
On the JV side, Andover boys took inspiration from another captain, Luke Francis ('25), who ran an assured race, leading to a final surge that earned him first place overall. Henry Zimmerman ('27) and Magnus Julin ('25) worked together throughout the course to finish inside the top five with Francis. Sami Tokat ('26) ran tactically perfectly to charge across the second half of the course and race to a top ten finish, and having worked diligently and patiently to make it to the line for his last Interschols, Captain Jakob Kuelps ('25) toughed out the hills to earn a place in the top ten. Andover boys' JV took first, scoring 25 points.