Andover Girls Race to Strong Finishes at Black Bear Invitational
The Andover girls made a strong team debut at the Black Bear Invitational hosted by Coe-Brown Northwood Academy. Coe-Brown's challenging course and the excellent competition made it a perfect cross country fall Saturday, and the PAXC runners rose to the occasion.
First up, the JV girls took the course and stayed competitive over the rolling, winding hills of the 3.1 miles. Lauren Montgomery ('25), in her first PAXC 5K, crossed the line as the first Andover runner to finish in a gutsy race. Alison Schneider ('26) followed with a strong finish across the last stretch of track, and Minnie Kim ('27) and Lily Williamson ('25) worked as a pack in the last mile to round out the Andover group.
In the Varsity race, the girls dug deep and ran strong throughout the difficult course. Emma Hagstrom ('25) fought her way through the third mile to finish seventh overall in an incredibly impressive display of resolve. Anya Budzinski ('26) and Tara Menon ('26) were next in for PA, and both runners showed some real heart and durability out there. Chloe Song ('26) continued her excellent early-season running with a second race in a row in near-PR speed. Aimee Qi ('27) made her PAXC 5K debut in a great performance, and she was followed by classmates Serafina Shin-Von Nordenflycht ('25) and Emily Wu ('25), who held their own in a deep field. The Varsity girls took fifth as a team.
You can find the full results here.
PAXC was thrilled to join the Black Bear Invitational this fall and are grateful to the meet directors for running an excellent meet. Next week, Andover will return to action on their home course in a dual meet against Choate.