Blair, Hill, and Mercersburg Academy faced off in the first-ever MAPL virtual cross country meet on Monday, October 12th at 4:00 PM. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, neither school could leave their campus to run head-to-head. Instead, each school ran simultaneously over their own course, then compared times to determine a virtual winner. By league agreement, Mercersburg’s and Blair’s courses are considered “equivalently hilly,” so no handicap was given to either team. Mercersburg, PA, like Blairstown, NJ, was drizzly and cool, making for ideal running no matter the locale. Eager to participate in such an historic event, both schools ran with heart under challenging conditions.
Mercersburg’s Addie Geitner emerged the individual champion in a strong early-season time of 22:53. Next to place was Blair’s pack - Zeynep Ozel ‘24, Petra Taylor ‘24, Lily Starrs ‘21 and Jessica Wilm ‘21, whose 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 finish made the Bucs unbeatable. Mercersburg’s Anna Deavers was sixth, after which Blair’s Lucy Clayton ‘21 completed the scoring for Blair by finishing 7th. Monique Garcia and Lois Hargrove took places 8 and 9 for the Blue Storm, with Blair’s Paige Folli ‘23 10th, displacing Mercersburg’s fifth girl, Clara Getty. Clara and Blair’s Corrine Wilm ‘21, the final varsity finisher on the team, ended up in a dead heat, an interesting twist possible only in such a virtual meet.
The final score was Blair 21, Mercersburg 35. Hill defeated Blair with a final score of 18-40 Following the varsity seven, Blair’s junior varsity was headed by Maya Ciminello ‘23 in her inaugural race, and also included Ali McEachern ‘23, Meredith Abbott ‘24, and Hannah Reed ‘23. With eleven solid runners and two more talented individuals who were forced to sit out due to early-season injuries, Blair has the makings of a very strong team this fall.