Junior Claire Palmer has had a successful fall season on the girls varsity cross country team. She was the recipient of this year’s Most Valuable Runner award and has produced consistent results, placing in the top five in almost every race this season.
Since late October, Palmer has been racing in postseason meets, competing strongly as she continues her winning streak.
On Saturday, Oct. 28, Palmer won the Shaler Invitational Meet at the Williston Northampton School with a time of 19 minutes, 23 seconds. In this race, she beat the second-place finisher by almost a full minute, showing her skill and determination to outpace the competition.
Despite the unseasonably warm temperature that reached 75 degrees, Palmer was successful by focusing on her form and being mindful of her pace.
The following weekend, on Nov. 4, Palmer had a fourth-place finish at the Founders’ League Championships at the Hotchkiss School. The course, featuring rolling terrain and a long, slow uphill section called “Cardiac” was no match for Palmer, though.
She maintained a strong pace and held the lead for most of the race. Palmer finished in fourth place with a time of 20:13, gaining recognition in the highly competitive Founders’ League and overcoming her 18th-place finish in the Founders’ Championship race the year before.
A week later, Palmer showed up again for the NEPSTA Division III Championship race at Highland Park in Attleboro, Mass. She finished in second place out of almost 150 runners with a time of 18:57. With this finish, Palmer earned a place in the NEPSTA All-Star Race, but did not attend.
Over Thanksgiving Break, Palmer continued running to prepare for the Foot Locker Northeast Regional Meet on Saturday, Nov. 25 at Franklin Park in Boston. The weather was cold, the temperature at race time being only 35 degrees.
Palmer had another strong race, finishing with a time of 19:14. Palmer placed 48th out of over 100 competitive runners and seventh for Connecticut racers. As a result of state scoring at the meet, Connecticut came in first, with Palmer securing a place among the top seven runners who make up the state’s varsity team.
Head Coach Tricia Watson reflected on Claire’s achievements. “Her work ethic has gotten her to the point where she’s taken minutes off of her time this year,” she said. “She shows what it takes to have the right attitude.” Most noted by her teammates are Palmer’s enthusiastic sense of camaraderie and her strong work ethic as a student-athlete.
Congratulations to Palmer on an outstanding season! KO is lucky to have her as an impressive competitor on both the varsity Cross Country and varsity Track and Field teams, and is looking forward to her next athletic achievements.
