Cross Country Teams Shine at States, Earn Second
November 02, 2023
Cross country team’s graduating seniors with coaches Joe Deffner and Emily Silver. Photo by Dan Grossman.
Thetford Academy hosted more than 30 teams and 250 runners for Vermont’s cross country championship on Saturday. The unseasonably warm day was a huge success for the Panthers, with both the boys and the girls teams earning second place division titles.
Senior Ben Mattern took first place in the Division III race, leading the 88 runners with a time of 17:51. He was followed by junior Brady Sloop in 3rd (18:06), freshman Sebastian Perdrizet in 6th, senior Jasper Jones in 18th, and sophomore Wendell Durham in 22nd place. Mattern’s time was 13th among all divisions.
The girls had a great run among the 82 competitors in their divisional field, with senior Ava Hayden leading the team in 5th place at 23:00, senior Charlize Brown in 9th with a time of 24:18, senior Annie Hesser in 10th (24:31) and Lucia Carr in 14th (25:07). Both Mattern and Sloop qualified for the New England’s event in Maine on November 11.
Congratulations to both teams, their coaches, and all the parents and volunteers who supported our runners during this outstanding season. Special shoutout to our graduating seniors: Mary Bosco, Charlize Brown, Anne Hesser, Jasper Jones, Whitney Lewis, Finn Liland, Cecilia Luce, Ben Mattern, and Maddy Thaxton.
