Senior captains Austeja Bazikas, Olivia Guckian, Colleen Donohoe, Brigid Purcell and Sheila Purcell have seen incredible success on the girls’ cross country team. The Harbinger was able to sit down with Sheila Purcell to look back on the season so far and what is coming up for the team.

How is the season going overall?

“Overall, the season is going very well. Our team won all of our dual meets and placed highly at other races.”

What was a highlight of this season so far?

“The highlight of this season so far was definitely our varsity team coming second place at Ocean State; that was really big for us and was really exciting for our varsity team to do that well.”

Who are some of your key runners? What runners especially stepped up this season and how?

“Our first key runner is definitely Brigid Purcell, who is our top runner; she has done very well at all of the dual meets, placing first in all of them. She also did very well at the Ocean State Invitational, receiving a medal there. Another key runner is freshman Tanvi Mehta; she has done very well for a freshman and placed seventh at Ocean State for the freshman race.”

What is your team dynamic like and how do you work together?

“Our team dynamic is very good this year. We have a very cohesive team; everyone is always cheering each other on and supporting each other, whether it be a practice or a meet.”

What do you think is the most challenging part of this season?

“We haven’t had many challenges this season, which is definitely great news to hear. I think our team is working very well together; we have performed very well, and overall it’s just been a great season so far.”

What is coming up for the team?

“Coming up for the team on Saturday [October 14] is the Twilight Invitational which is probably the biggest race we go to all year. Teams from all over Massachusetts will be there and we’re looking at hopefully placing well in our varsity race. We’re running racers in our sophomore, freshman and JV race. Moving forward from that we have Leagues, Districts, States and the Meet of Champions; we’re hoping to qualify for the Meet of Champions as a team which we haven’t done in a couple of years so that will be exciting.”