Academics
Upper School
Tartan Cross Country Teams Keep Their CIF Finals Streaks Alive
St. Margaret's is on to the CIF-SS Finals on Nov. 23.
Both Tartan cross country teams qualified for the CIF Finals after solid performances in the CIF Prelims on Friday at Mt. SAC. The qualifications mark the 11th consecutive trip for the girls, and the 19th for the boys.
The girls team entered the race as the top seed and did not disappoint. Heidi Beshk (9th) continued to lead the Tartans and was flanked by senior Coco Johnson (10th) the entire way. The duo ran a very controlled race and finished with identical times of 20:53. Although the Tartans featured three freshmen in their top 5, the surprise of the day was the successful return of Sarah Bendzick who finished 14th overall. Bendzick had been sidelined for several weeks with an injury and hadn't raced since September.
"This group is the perfect mix of young talent and veteran leadership," said head coach Pat Bendzick. "Our freshmen were fearless, and we owe it all to the mentorship that Coco, Sarah, America, and Lauren provided."
The boys team finished second by design, closely tracking Flintridge Prep to a qualifying spot. Samarth Wadhwa (5th) and Zaiden Gurusamy (6th) also finished with identical times of 17:12 as they methodically positioned the rest of the lineup. Pierce Frankfort shook off a recent illness to finish an impressive 9th overall and Ben Harrison closed out the scoring.
"The boys missed their typical No. 1 and No. 4 runners today, but you would never know it," said Bendzick. "They embraced the new role for the day and executed it to perfection. It will definitely be fun to see what they do next week with the full roster."
The Tartans return to Mt. SAC for the CIF Finals on Nov. 23 to attempt to capture their 8th CIF Southern Section Championship and 8th consecutive trip to the State Championships.
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The girls team entered the race as the top seed and did not disappoint. Heidi Beshk (9th) continued to lead the Tartans and was flanked by senior Coco Johnson (10th) the entire way. The duo ran a very controlled race and finished with identical times of 20:53. Although the Tartans featured three freshmen in their top 5, the surprise of the day was the successful return of Sarah Bendzick who finished 14th overall. Bendzick had been sidelined for several weeks with an injury and hadn't raced since September.
"This group is the perfect mix of young talent and veteran leadership," said head coach Pat Bendzick. "Our freshmen were fearless, and we owe it all to the mentorship that Coco, Sarah, America, and Lauren provided."
The boys team finished second by design, closely tracking Flintridge Prep to a qualifying spot. Samarth Wadhwa (5th) and Zaiden Gurusamy (6th) also finished with identical times of 17:12 as they methodically positioned the rest of the lineup. Pierce Frankfort shook off a recent illness to finish an impressive 9th overall and Ben Harrison closed out the scoring.
"The boys missed their typical No. 1 and No. 4 runners today, but you would never know it," said Bendzick. "They embraced the new role for the day and executed it to perfection. It will definitely be fun to see what they do next week with the full roster."
The Tartans return to Mt. SAC for the CIF Finals on Nov. 23 to attempt to capture their 8th CIF Southern Section Championship and 8th consecutive trip to the State Championships.
St. Margaret’s Episcopal School
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