Girls’ Cross Country

MAPL CHAMPS

2012

Blair Girls' Cross Country FAQs:

When is the season? Cross Country is a fall sport, but if you love running, we also have both winter and spring track teams.  

Is experience necessary? No! We have all levels on our team from total beginners to college-level runners, with everything in between. All that is required is a positive attitude and a desire to be part of a fun and friendly team. 

How long are the races? Races are 5 KM (3.1 miles).

Where do you practice? Our practices are either on our own golf course located on campus or on Blairstown’s beautiful Paulinskill Trail. 

When do you race? With a few exceptions, we race each Saturday, culminating in our exciting Peddie Day race to wrap up our season. For the most part, these are combined Varsity and JV races where everyone runs at the same time, although there are a few varsity-only races.

How do these races work? Cross Country is scored by adding the places of each team's top 5 finishers; 1st place = 1 pt, 2nd = 2pts etc. The lowest team score wins.

Why should I run? 

• Running is healthy
• Running is fun
• Running is a lifetime sport
• Running is for EVERYONE. No matter your size or athletic ability, you can have fun and positive experience pushing to be a better version of yourself
• Running prepares you for other sports. We pride ourselves on having amazing athletes from all different sports train with us in order to improve their mental and physical toughness as well as their fitness.
• Running establishes close friendships that can last a lifetime. We are a friendly and inclusive group which is always looking for more people to join our team.

Please feel free to email Blair girls' cross country head coach Quinten Clarke '87 with any questions.

About Coach Clarke

History teacher Quinten Clarke '87 joined Blair's faculty in 2001. He currently teaches global issues and constitutional law, a course he developed, and serves as head coach of the girls' varsity cross country team. Over his years at Blair, Quint has been the international monitor, taught in the English and religion departments, and coached a number of other sports. He completed  his undergraduate work at Rutgers University in 1991 and earned his JD from Rutgers University School of Law in Camden in 1994. Prior to beginning his teaching career, he clerked for Judge Ronald Graves in Newton, New Jersey, worked as an associate attorney at the law firm of Laddey, Clark and Ryan in Sparta, and served as an adjunct professor at Sussex County Community College. Quint founded “Blair in Kenya” in 2005, an independent nonprofit that operates two schools in Kenya and works to improve the lives of the African nation’s rural poor. He and his wife, Blair English and health and wellness teacher Sarah O’Neil, reside in Marcial House. 

Contact Coach Clarke at clarkq@blair.edu for any questions.

About Coach Lunger

Emily Lunger ’17 joined Blair's language department in 2025 as a French teacher. The daughter of Eric Lunger and Penn Graves Lunger, former chair of the classics department and English teacher, respectively, Emily grew up on campus and returned to Blair from Senegal, where she conducted research on sociopolitical issues in sub-Saharan Africa and taught English to the local community. Prior to that, she spent time in Paris as a teaching assistant and at The Pennington School as a teaching fellow, where she crafted a holistic French curriculum and played an active role in residential life. Emily earned her BA in French and anthropology in 2017 from Pomona College and an MA in French from Middlebury College in 2024.

View directions to athletic events. To read recaps about past events, go to the "Team News" tab above.

View more photos from the most recent season here.