Fielding one of the smallest teams in a competition that involved 16 schools, the girls’ cross country squad from The Country School in Madison kept its two-season undefeated streak alive by finishing in first place at the prestigious Wickham Invitational on Oct. 8, accomplishing a feat that no Country School team had ever previously achieved. In the girls’ race, which brought together teams from Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts, the Country School’s runners narrowly defeated perennial powerhouses that featured more than 50 athletes, compared to the nine Owls who toed the line at the meet.

Laila Goodman of Old Lyme led the Country School team by pulling off an impressive sprint on the final 300-meter uphill to nab fifth place. Friend and classmate Tillie Killam of Madison scored an impressive eighth-place performance, only three seconds behind Goodman, as they established themselves as the two fastest 6th-graders between the three states represented in the competition.

Following in her sister’s footsteps, 4th-grader Liv Killam took fourth place for the team and finished 19th overall for the 3K course. Maribel Smith, a 6th-grader from Madison, earned the crucial fifth spot for the squad, coming down the mountain to run a strong second half and secure the team’s victory.

Rounding out the team, regionally-ranked tennis player, 8th-grader Ksenia Podolseva of Madison, showed leadership and guts by securing 13th place overall, sprinting past competitors in the final drive. Podolseva was followed by Anna Gunderson of Guilford and Maybe Hladky of Wallingford, who finished in 25th and 36th place, respectively.

Information courtesy of The Country School