All roads had led to this point. Brunswick had weathered the storm of attrition to field its second-smallest team ever, yet quite possibly its best. Loaded with optimism and the three fastest runners in the history of the program, the D-1 New England Championships could prove to be a defining moment.

Under perfect weather conditions on a Taft course muddied from the overnight rains, Brunswick sent seven runners to the line with personal and team-podium aspirations.

From the gun, the challenge was announced as Exeter’s nationally ranked runner surged to the front, creating an early breakaway pack along with Nathan Lee and Teddy Hojlo. Through the opening mile in a blistering 4:32 pace, the runners continued to exchange leads, covering each other’s moves and countering each other’s surges on the two-loop roller coaster of a course. At the two-mile mark, Hojlo took a risk that would cost him a chance at the title, as he could not pull away from the other two runners and would have to settle for third place.

Lee positioned himself up the long final hill just off the shoulder of Exeter’s runner, pursuing around the final turn and onto the 250-meter home stretch. The competition between the two equally worthy runners came down to the final 50 meters on the track. Lee made his ultimate move, reaching for that something extra he has found all season, and opened up a few-meter lead to win by one second.

“At the end he made it look like cat and mouse, but that was a battle between snake and mongoose,” said Coach Polikoff.

Meanwhile, through the mile in 4:50 and firmly in the top 10, Armaan Lakhani was engaged in a struggle of his own. The adrenaline that had pushed and pulled him to be among the elite would take its toll, and the usual late-race burst of speed would evade him. Saturday's performance instead showcased his strength and determination, and his 13th-place overall finish earned him All-New England honors.

With three runners in the books, no team had a lower (better) score than Brunswick. And here came Shep McGovern. The combination of power and speed had made for a seamless mid-season transition to cross country. Claiming an impressive 41st place against this field of elite runners not only announced his arrival in the sport but also guaranteed Brunswick its highest-ever team finish.

Arjun Kolluri crossed the line in 78th, and the Bruins’ hopes were alive. However, while approaching a turn mid-race, Kolluri had been bumped off his line and missed going around a flag, resulting — albeit hours later — in his automatic disqualification. Thoughts of the podium slipped away.

Graeme Morley peaked at the right time, running his fastest race on one of the toughest courses. His score gave Brunswick their final points, and once again, Sawyer White would grind it out to complete the varsity lineup.

Brunswick will use any thoughts of what might have been as motivation for next year, while this season can be celebrated for its individual champion, three All-New England athletes, a host of great efforts, a team firmly bonded, and a best-ever sixth-place team finish.

Individual Times
15:28 Nathan Lee (1)
15:48 Teddy Hojlo (3)
17:07 Armaan Lakhani (13)
18:18 Shep McGovern (41)
19:38 Arjun Kolluri (78/DQ)
20:29 Graeme Morley (92)
22:50 Sawyer White (96)

Team Scores
64 Exeter
83 St. Paul’s
100 Loomis
131 Deerfield
143 Andover
150 Brunswick
190 Hotchkiss
191 Milton
198 Belmont Hill
230 Avon
254 NMH
323 Choate
345 Taft
430 TP