Numerous runners from the Weedsport boy’s and girl’s cross country team beat their personal best times this year despite facing numerous obstacles.

Coach John Lawler said the athletes “drastically improved” throughout the season, and that was noticeable because the teams won against other schools they either struggled against or defeated by a small margin.

The Weedsport boy’s team finishing with a dual meet record of 7-5, while the girl’s team finished 2-9.

“The teams faced fierce competition among the larger B schools this season as a result of the safety measures put into place by our league.” Lawler said. “The athletes could not meet over the summer due to COVID-19 restrictions. We also changed our course to accommodate safety measures as well as restrictive team participants.”

During the last week of the season, athletes shattered their 2020 personal best times. New to the varsity girls’ team were Allison House who was the top girl runner in all of the competitions, and Senior Leah Hanscomb who was also a leading contributor to the team. Sarah Carroll and Olivia Snodgrass also rounded out the top three finishers for the Girls Varsity XC Running team. Lawler said seniors Emily Clark and Brianna Farrelly helped with her leadership and performance.

On the boy’s side, junior Landon Kepple and senior Ashton Benedict often took the first two places in numerous competitions. Kepple finished as the top runner from Weedsport in every race. Other senior contributors and leaders included Caleb Tracy and William Sterling.

“The success our teams had comes is primarily from the tremendous team effort in practices and meets,” Lawler added.

Other highlights included:

• The boy’s team beating Marcellus later in the season after losing the first contest.
• The girls had outstanding performances at the Skaneateles tri-meet and Jordan Elbridge tri-meet at the end of the season.