Shattering expectations is always tough to do. At the Montgomery County Championships on Oct. 21, the boys’ team did just that.
Coming into the race, they were projected to finish just inside the top 10, around eighth or ninth; but they had other ideas. The team came together, and ran by far their best race of the season to finish second. The girls’ team also finished second, continuing their successful season.

The boys’ team was led by junior John Riker, who finished in fifth place with a time of 15:39.00. Even though he did not win, he ran the fastest full 5k ever by a Wootton student, which shows how difficult the competition at the meet was. Senior Mitchell Fanger finished 18th with a time of 16:29.20 and junior Joseph Pohoryles finished 25th with a time of 16:38.30.

The girls’ team performed well and they were led by junior Jessica Trzeciak, who also finished in fifth with a time of 19:02.80. Junior Adna Trakic finished eighth with a time of 19:17.00 and junior Erin Chelf finished 25th with a time of 19:53.80.

While the two varsity teams performed well, both the freshman and sophomore boys’ and girls’ teams won their respective races. The boys’ were led by Scott Sritharan, who finished first with a time of 17:45.20. Sophomore Benjamin Fritz finished fifth with a time of 18:01.20 and freshman Jeffrey Riker finished in sixth with a time of 18:03.00.

The girls’ were led by the freshman duo Emma Helgeson and Angela Parra. Helgeson finished first with a time of 20:57.80 and Parra finished second with a time of 21:08.70. Sophomore Orly Strauss finished fifth with a time of 21:57.70. “I thought our first counties meet was very successful and capped off a great first season,” Parra said.

In the junior and senior B Boys’ Meet, the team finished in second place. They were led by junior Zachary Blackman, who finished ninth with a time of 18:07.20. Junior Jaiden Shah finished 12th, with a time of 18:15.30 and senior Avery Tarwater finished 15th, with a time of 18:26.20.

In the junior and senior B Girls’ Meet, the team dominated and easily won first place. They had three of the top five finishers and were led by senior Veronika Schuermann, who finished in first with a time of 21:29.30. Senior Hannah Boyd finished second with a time of 21:42.20 and junior Zoe Weiss finished fifth with a time of 22:40.30.

After the race, the coaches made some difficult decisions and narrowed the team down to only the top 12 boys and girls. The coaches still have some decisions to make as they will be narrowing those 12 runners down to the top seven of each to compete in the MPSSAA 4A West Region Championships on Nov. 2, too late to be covered in this issue.

Ryan Ullman

Senior Sports Editor