Coed Varsity Cross Country vs Mid Atlantic Prep League Championships on 11/2/2024

Peddie cross country competed in the 2024 MAPL Championships at Mercersburg Academy. As a team, the Peddie girls finished third out of six teams (68 points). The Peddie boys placed fourth out of six teams (80 points). Matilda Kardhashi ’25 ran in close pursuit of the race leader for all five kilometers before finishing second in a time of 19:54. Eliza Lamar ’25 took the final spot in the top ten when she crossed the line in 21:57 and Charis Chien ’27 made a triumphant return to racing at the perfect time en route to a 12th place finish in 22:27. Carolina Lopez-Watt ’25 (19th, 23:05), co-captain Sophie Winn ’26 (25th, 23:54) and Ananya Hari ’25 (29th. 24:11) also raced well for the Falcons and helped the girls team earn a third place finish (68 points) behind champions Mercersburg (41 points) and runner-up Lawrenceville (46 points).

The varsity boys came next and co-captain Baker Pott ’25 led a trio of Peddie runners in the lead pack on the way to a sixth place finish for him in a time of 17:25. James Hamnett ’25 (12th, 17:48) and Dylan Patel ’25 (17th, 18:15) displayed impressive teamwork with Pott for the majority of the race while Jack Stewart ’25 (19th, 18:22) closed hard in the final mile to give Peddie four runners in the top twenty. Theo Salapatas ’27 (26th, 19:08) and Landen Jefferson ’25 (27th, 19:19) rounded out the scoring lineup for the Falcons.

Kardhashi and Pott each garnered All-MAPL recognition for their top seven performances in the girls and boys varsity races, respectively.

The Futures race concluded the day and saw Ethan Sbarro ’26 (third,, 18:54) and Rishi Swaminathan ’25 (fourth,, 19:05) work together for nearly the entire race on their way to a pair of top five finishes. Co-captain Matthew Luo ’25 (11th, 20:01) and Josh Li ’26 (14th, 20:12) moved up the leaderboard as the race progressed while Leo Pan-Wang ’26 (27th, 21:20) demonstrated remarkable consistency and nearly held the same spot over the entire distance. James Radigan ’25 (29th, 21:31), Brennan Caldwell ’28 (52nd, 23:31) and Arnav Shankar ’28 (66th, 25:51) closed out the course for Peddie, demonstrating remarkable grit in each of their runs.

The Falcons next conclude the season and host Blair Academy on Peddie-Blair Day on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 2:45 p.m. at Peddie Golf Course.