Week #10: Tandem Dominates Senior Day Meet at Darden Towe!

Only three days ago, the Badgers traveled to the Virginia Showcase, one of the largest meets in the country.  The team ran at an elite level, and only seventy-two hours later, got right back on the line to compete in Tandem's first Mid-Week Invitational at Darden Towe Park. That quick turnaround did not bother Andrew, who earned a PR for the second meet in a row! Andrew hit the mile mark in a blazing 6:54, and held that aggressive pace, dropping ONE MINUTE off his previous best. His time of 22:49 is a tribute to all of the hard work Andrew has put in this season!

 

Making his season debut, Jon Derby returned to the course where he ran his best race a season ago, in a time of 32:03. Jon has been training hard this season, and has taken photos at a lot of our meets. Today, he traded his camera for a bib, and set PR's throughout the race. His first mile - 7:45 - is the fastest he's run this season, which led him to a 5K time of 27:43 - his first time under 30:00! Jon dropped FIVE MINUTES off of his previous best, and breaking 30:00 moves him into a new category altogether!

 

Running at Darden Towe for the final time, our Varsity Boys seniors delivered at a high level. Hayes won the race in a time of 16:42, while Miles placed third in 17:46. Peter W (18:36) was fifth, while Jack J finished 8th in a time of 19:23. As he approached the line, a pack of Covenant runners surged ahead of Jack, and his response was incredible. Jack turned on the jets - finishing ahead of all of them, and those points were critical to our success, as the Badger Seniors had four of the top ten runners! Jude (21:06) delivered another strong race, while Alexander finished in 22:37! 

 

Finishing in 18:52, Peter D dropped over a FULL MINUTE off of his time from Darden Towe last season, while Ryan (21:42), Nico (22:23) and Daniel (25:10) ran strong races on the heels of their efforts this weekend! Taking on strong competition from Covenant, Regents, EMS and Steward, the Badgers emerged victorious on their home turf. The team scored a mere 24 points, winning the meet by 22!

 

The Varsity Boys Cross Country crew return to action next Tuesday, October 27 at New Covenant.  See you then!

 

Girls Varsity Cross Country - With a smile a mile wide, Caffall approached the Darden Towe hill. She had already run the first mile in 8:00, with an open stride and a confident approach. Caffall had full conversations with her coaches during the race, demonstrative of her strength and capacity for success in the sport. When she rounded the final curve, Caffall looked just as strong as she did at the beginning of the race. Her strong finish resulted in an exciting new PR of 29:42 - her first time under 30:00 - and a PR of 30 seconds!  Congratulations, Caffall, this is just the beginning! 

 

Working together, the Varsity Girls Badgers built on their excellent performance from Saturday's Virginia Showcase. Lucy (24:12) led the team and finished 8th overall. She worked closely with Sawyer (24:22) whose rookie season has been quite the sequence of breakout performances! Eve (25:49) was hot on their heels, nearly matching her PR on a tough course!

 

Hattie (26:09), Victoria (26:30) and Alice (26:59) ran as a pack for much of the race. Hattie, making her season debut, nearly matched her PR from 2025 and looked incredibly strong in the process!  Competition Hattie is an amazing version of Hattie! Victoria's 26:30 is a massive course PR, a PR of nearly FOUR MINUTES, as she put together two excellent races in three days! Alice continues to improve; her time nearly matched her race from 2025.

 

The Varsity Girls Cross Country Badgers placed two in the top ten and all of our scoring five in the top 20, taking 2nd Place overall. The team returns to action next Tuesday at New Covenant for their final tuneup before states! See you then!