On Tuesday, October 12, the Sant Bani School cross country team hosted Shaker Road School in the team’s final home meet of the season. Blue skies, a light breeze, and temperatures befitting mid-September greeted the runners as they lined up across the starting line.
From the moment the race began, one runner gradually began to separate from the early race pack: Sant Bani School’s Elli Englund ’22. Englund lengthened her lead as the race progressed and on the final loop of the course she emerged off the hill that runs alongside the Middle Building with a sizeable lead, maintaining her torrid pace for the final 200 meters to break the tape.
After the race, when SBS Head Coach Wendy Pietroniro P’22 ’24 tabulated the results, she discovered that Englund had set a new overall course record by 30 seconds, finishing the two-mile race in 13:08. The previous course record of 13:38 was set in 2017, the first year in which the course was configured in its current alignment. Englund bested the previous girls’ course record by an astonishing two minutes.
Eloise Abbott ’25 finished second in the girls’ race, clocking a time that also bested the previous girls course record, while Jakai Gage ’22 won the boys’ race.
“Elli is an amazing runner, outstanding student, and overall wonderful person,” said Pietroniro. “Elli is one of the tri-captains on this year’s cross country team. She leads by example and always has a positive word of encouragement or smile to pass on to her teammates. I never have to wonder if Elli is putting forth her best effort; she always strives to push herself to reach her fullest potential!”
The Sant Bani School cross country teams conclude the season on October 23 with the State Meet at Northwood Coe-Brown Academy.