Senior co-captains Nick Robie and Nick Watson finish first and second, respectively, against Summit Country Day at the Dewine Estate Invitational in Cedarville. (Ally Sabgir’18)

After a strong senior class graduated, it would be a challenge for the Vikings cross country teams to regroup. But CA has returned to its dominant ways to start the 2017 campaign.

The boys charged into their first meet of the season on Saturday, August 26, at the Newark Catholic Invitational. With six varsity runners placing in the top 30 out of 183 participants, the team nabbed second place only behind Heath. 

Annalise Grammel’20 and Regan Cornelius’21 also put forward an impressive performance in the girls varsity race by placing second and eighth, respectively.

Through murky skies and spitting rain, the Columbus Academy cross country team ventured to Cedarville on Saturday, September 2, for its second meet of the season. Building on their momentum, the boys swept the field against Summit Country Day, taking first place overall. Seniors Nick Robie and Nick Watson cruised to first and second place individually, but it was the team contribution that earned the win. Taking first, second, fourth, fifth, and sixth place, the boys proved that their talent runs deep. The seven starters span all four grades, with each runner as driven as the next.

The girls also ran a sound race. Grammel won and Cornelius finished right behind her in second, as the two girls zoomed to the finish far in front of the field. Their teammates, seniors Briyana Dragin and Yas Salon and sophomore Rachel Raque also demonstrated improvement on a challenging course.

With an optimistic outlook for what the season has in store, the team travels to the McGowan Invitational on Saturday, September 9.