At the start of the Cross Country season, we talked about resilience—not as a race-day trait, but a habit built in the quiet, unseen work of early alarms, obstacles on the trails, and tired legs. This week at the MAISAD Championships, the Wolfpack showed what resilience means when it finally crosses the finish line.

On Halloween, the boys brought home the MAISAD Championship trophy for the second year in a row. Roberto Ramírez O’Farrill battled through the University of Maine at Augusta course to earn 2nd overall, with Filippo Bianco right beside him in 3rd. Their podium finishes set the tone, but it was the depth behind them—Jacopo, Sawyer, Adrien, Brian, and Hector—that secured the title.

This victory wasn’t built in one race; it came from ten-mile training runs, choking down the brisk Fall air, or hill repeats, and the whole team training the day after leg day when not showing up might’ve been easier. Sure, there was the looming threat of a week or two on jobs to get some of the more reluctant into shape, but overall these runners were chasing something more than just pizzas from the Cabin. Bryce, Vytautus, Matteo and others are going to set the Hyde team up for a strong performance on the JV New Englands squad.

The girls’ team closed the season with heart and momentum. On a technical course, Jana crossed in 28 minutes and Sofi in 29—both posting their fastest times of the season when it mattered most. Elise finished strong in 33 minutes. Their season wasn’t defined by medals against the Kents Hill powerhouse, but by steady growth: showing up to every practice, leading warmups, and pushing each other through long runs. I’m proud to say as their coach, this season was never a walk in the woods for them. They may not have left MAISAD with a trophy, but they left with something harder to win—belief in how far they’ve come and how far they can go as athletes.

What made this season different wasn’t just speed—it was leadership. Captain Sofi held the girls together through rain, cold, and course changes, while Roberto and Filippo led by example, not words (or at least words Coach Reid and I chose to hear…)—finishing workouts, staying late to stretch, checking on teammates after races. Rain or shine, they were ready to compete at yesterday’s championships to bring back the win—it just so happened that the 90% chance of rain we were expecting rolled right on through. Idle threats to not run the muddy trails at Augusta remained just that—and you bet as coaches we had some things to say about that attitude. Assistant Coach Abby Denton, in her first season with Hyde after joining the math faculty, became a quiet force for the team—timing workouts, offering encouragement, and asking the right questions at the right moments. Her presence mattered.

The weeks leading up to MAISAD were some of the hardest of the season. Legs were heavy from back-to-back training blocks—ten-mile runs on backroads, steep hill climbs in Newcastle, and sore muscles from lifting sessions that left the team groaning their way up stairs. But no one backed down. Instead, they leaned into the discomfort together. I promised them pizza if the A squad could finish 9 miles, but that 10th one was from Captain Filippo pushing for them for that even number. They kept track of each other's times, also some of the runners from the other schools who they got to know over the course of the last several meets. It’s always gratifying watching a team come together, but good sportsmanship is the mark of a strong team. The Wolfpack didn’t just race—they carried the culture they’ve built into every mile. They’ve learned that courage is showing up when you’re scared, integrity is doing the work when no one’s watching, and resilience is doing both, over and over again.

There’s one more race to go—the post-season meet back at the University of Maine at Augusta. The boys are hungry to race the course again, this time not just as a team of champions, but as a team still improving. The girls are aiming for one more breakthrough, one more personal best, one more reason to sprint through the finish with nothing left to give.

Coach Reid and I couldn’t be more proud—not because we brought home another trophy, but because of how it was earned. Through blisters, shinsplints, sore legs, and laughter, shared playlists in the van, and those serene, quiet moments in the cold at the starting line, this team has shown that running uphill—literally and figuratively—teaches you what it means to be there for each other in life’s journey.

The season isn’t over yet. But the legacy of this one is already clear: at Hyde, no one runs alone, and resilience isn’t a platitude—it’s a way of life. Go Wolfpack.

By: Shaw Bridges