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Schools

Big Day for WDHS Boys', Girls' Cross-Country Teams

The West Deptford girls took down four conference foes, while the boys' team went 3-1 at West Deptford Park.

It took just one dominating performance for the girls' cross-country team to not only clinch a winning record for the season, but also put itself in a position to make a run at a Colonial Conference Liberty Division title.

Things can happen quickly when five Colonial teams line up for one race.

West Deptford scored wins over Haddon Township, Sterling, Lindenwold and Overbrook at Tuesday to improve to 6-0 with just three conference opponents left on the schedule.

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The Eagles closest result was against Lindenwold, which it edged, 28-27.

“Coming into the season I didn’t think we were going to be as good as we are,” admitted senior Samantha Budd, who was third overall with a time of 22 minutes, 19 seconds. “We had a small team last year and the year before, but I’m really happy with how many girls have come out.”

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As expected, Millie Kipp was the first girl to cross the line, doing so in 20:44.

While Kipp and Budd’s performances are what put the Eagles in position to record the sweep, it was the pack of senior Diana Benito and freshmen Kiersten Cooper and Mackenzie Thayres that secured with winning score by placing 11, 12 and 13, respectively.

“It’s awesome,” said Kipp of being 6-0. “The younger runners are inexperienced but they have been doing so great trying to keep up with everything and it’s been really helpful having younger runners. They have been really fun and really good.”

Budd said the younger runners have given the team extra confidence.

“If Millie and I get one, two, or three the other girls need to travel as a pack, and I know they have definitely done a good job at it,” Budd said. “They all feed off of each other and push each other at the end.”

West Deptford still has a major hurdle in front of it in division-favorite Haddonfield, which it faces on Oct. 10. However, it is not unthinkable that the team could grow even stronger between now and then and surprise the Bulldawgs.

And even if a division title is not in the cards, it will take nothing away from what the team has already accomplished.

“I’m really happy that we have been working as a team and I think that really helps us,” Kipp said.

Not to be overlooked on Tuesday was the effort of the West Deptford boys, who went 3-1 to move to 5-1 on the year. The Eagles scored wins over Sterling, Overbrook and Lindenwold, falling only to Haddon Township.

The win over Sterling was the biggest accomplishment, as head coach Mark Drummond called the meet against Sterling “a measuring stick” in the preseason.

Ray Parsons led the way, placing second overall at 17:57, while Phillip Palmer and Kevin Cianfarini placed seventh and ninth.

“Sterling was barometer for us and coming out of here with a win in the way we did it–23-33–is a pretty significant,” said Drummond, who called Leo Impagliazo’s 10th-place finish a key factor.

Drummond has no illusions of his team knocking off Haddon Heights or Haddonfield later in the season, but does have his team focused on sectionals.

“I’m hoping this is a springboard,” said Drummond. “We have Haddonfield and Haddon Heights in a couple weeks, but really I have been hammering in these kids heads, this meet and sectionals. Those are really the only two things that really matter to us right now. We got one check in the positive today, and hopefully that carries us through and we keep doing the work we need to do to get to sectionals and hopefully make it to states.”

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