Take your mark, get set, go! Welcome to the biggest team in Rye Country Day history. With a record number of students, the Rye Country Day Cross Country Team is ready to race to the finish line. For those who have been wondering, the pack of kids running around the fields for miles at a time is the cross country team hard at work. Despite the disruption last season due to Covid, this year’s turnout has made up for the loss. 

As Captain Isabel Slippen, ‘23, explains, “Our team is huge this year, with a lot of new athletes because both the freshman and sophomores never really had a chance to compete, so it’s really exciting.” 

When asked how he feels about the team and this exciting season, long-time Coach White replied, “The future looks bright. This is by far the largest Cross Country team we’ve had in the seventeen years I’ve coached. There is a lot of potential talent on this team, and I’m looking forward to seeing just how fast they can be.” 

The five captains of the team (Amitav Nott ‘22, Yuto Abe ‘22, Benji Schwab ‘22, Maya Kini ‘22, and Slippen ‘23) will play a large role in bringing this team together. 

The first outing in mid-September at Sherwood Island drew record-setting numbers, with two hundred fifty students comprised of eight schools from the area at the starting line. Runners began at a starting line and proceeded to run 3.1 miles (or a 5k) over a combination of hilly terrain and flat surface. The Rye Country Day boys placed fifth and girls placed seventh in the FAA meet against various other schools in the conference such as Brunswick and Hopkins. At the end of the race, the team’s young star Jared Perlmutter, ‘24, and veteran runner Kini, ‘22, led the pack, both placing in the top twenty. 

In Rye Country Day’s second official race, again at Sherwood Island, Esaias Gonzalez, ‘25, as well as sensation Cleo Saltz, ‘24, earned some big points for the school. In fact, Saltz set the women’s 5k record for Rye Country Day girls with a time of twenty-one minutes and eighteen seconds. Both the boys and girls team placed fourth overall in this second meet.

The season continues until early November, when the varsity runners will compete in the All State Championship. There is so much to look forward to with a young and upcoming team. Sophomore runner Brynn Coady ‘24 explains it best: “the cross country team is the best team on campus!”