Falmouth Academy Cross Country 2023-24

Coaches Cullinane and Olson are joined this year by Coach Anne Preisig, an accomplished distance runner with a long history of coaching on Cape Cod.

The varsity program is only in its fourth year, with Coach Cullinane returning for his second, and Coach Olson for his fourth. Cullinane was an accomplished runner with accolades from High School to international competition and the U.S. Olympic Trials. Coach Olson has been working with athletes in numerous sports for years and brings an enthusiasm and joy to practice that helps keep the kids going.

MARINERS COACHINGSTAFF

HEADCOACHJASON CULLINANE

COACHANNEPREISIG

COACHJONOLSON

The most important aspect of being on a team like ours is the sense of comradery, or being part of something bigger. Yes, each person runs their own race, but the road that leads them to the race is never one travelled alone. And, when the time comes to race, the friends who braved this journey with them are by their side.

BOYS7-1GIRLS4-4

STURGISEASTBOYS:LOSSGIRLS:LOSS9SEP23

FA boys ended the Lighthouse division season in second place with a solid 7-1 record, while the girls were able to rally to a 4-4 season. Very respectable for such a young program. Recruiting went well this past year and we are hopeful this will translate into success for both teams in the years to come. We are sad to bid farewell to our two seniors. Natalie Pil and Wylie Wakefield, who served as leaders from the start of the program and depart as team Captains. Best of luck in all your future endeavors.

STURGISWESTBOYS:WINGIRLS:LOSS26SEP23

MONOMOYBOYS:WINGIRLS:WIN3OCT23

CAPECOD ACADEMYBOYS:WINGIRLS:LOSS10OCT23

StJOHNPAULIIBOYS:WINGIRLS:WIN10OCT23

RISINGTIDEBOYS:WINGIRLS:WIN17OCT23

2023LIGHTHOUSEDIVISION

RIVERVIEWBOYS:WINGIRLS:WIN24OCT23

NANTUCKETBOYS:WINGIRLS:LOSS24OCT23

The boys team is in a great place with a fair amount of success achieved, and very little loss to graduation. The boys had three Lighthouse Division All Stars with Nait Gartner, Erik Gulmann, and Wylie Wakefield. Team Captain Wylie Wakefield has been an FA XC fixture since the team was founded and we are sad to see him go. We wish him fair winds and a following sea. He can be content that he has helped set the stage for the rest of these young men to succeed, and not just in running, but in life.

BOYSTEAM2023

NathanGARTNER andSOPHOMORE-RanaPR despitequalifiedforAllState injuryandCOVID.

KadenMATTHIAS8thGRADEAdventure LovedcalledandKadenanswered. thepunchbowl.

DeclanDIRIWACHTER ning8thGRADE-Keptuphisrundespitehipinjury.Solidteamspirit.

ElijahCONNORS Clocked8thGRADE-2yearVet. hisPRsthisyear.

AmazingSOPHOMORE-4yearVet. perfomancewithMossJUNKER proved8thGRADE-Rookie.Imalmosteveryweek.Needstoremembershoes.

HarrisonWEBB orableSOPHOMORE-LeagueHonMention. Consistentlyinthetop5forFA.

WylieWAKEFIELD ofSENIOR–Ranfromthestart theprogram.Greatsocks.

CAPTAIN

NickolasLEACH aboutFRESHMAN-Quietlywent histrainingandtook5minoffhisbesttime.

HaoaVanDERHOOP of7thGRADE-Valuedmember thetheteam-Afirststepin worldofrunning.

AriARETXABALETA learning7thGRADE-Dedicatedto asmuchashecanaboutrunning.

HenryRICHINS

WouldJUNIOR-1styearrunner. getdissapointedwithaPRofafewseconds.

EthanPLOTKINPRJUNIOR-Rana of23:12for5k.

MasonCROWLEY from8thGRADE-Improved6:14 hisfirsttolastraceoftheseason.

WestonMOGUL intoFRESHMAN-Ranhisway thetopseven,competingintheleaguemeet.

We say farewell to Natlie Pil, who has also been a fixture on our team since inception. Her positive attitude and infectious grit have set her teammates up for success in the years to come. The culture of the team has been set and will endure with each generation of runners. While the girls team record is 4-4 this season, we see their individual improvements as the take away. Elise Casso is now a 2 x Lighthouse MVP as a Freshman and Sophomore with her best years in front of her. Each of our girls has put in their miles, done our workouts and have improved in many ways. Next year will be even better.

GIRLSTEAM2023

andSOPHOMORE-BothAllStar LeagueMVP.Placed16thatAllStateDivII.SeomaeARONSON whatJUNIOR-Settheexampleof dedicationmeanstotherestoftheteam.

LilahFULHAM

GiovannaMESSINA toFRESHMAN-Alwayswilling andkeepcomingbacktotry tryagain.

WillowWAKEFIELD 6:51SOPHOMORE-Improvedby overtheseasonpostingherPRattheStateDiv2C.

PRSOPHOMORE-Improved5K almost9minutesinonly35days. LilaJOURNALIST secondsJUNIOR-Improvedby6:33 onour5khomecoursethisyear.

ElizabethBLAUER tentialFRESHMAN-Amazingpoperformanceswithanumberofgreat thisyear.

andSENIOR–Heartoftheteam itsbiggestcheerleader.

CAPTAIN

ArdenO’NEIL bySOPHOMORE–Improved 6:58overthisseasonwith

Elise CASSO

FA hosted its first dual meet of the season against last year’s league champions Sturgis East. East came ready to run and we were not at 100%. Two of our top boys didn’t run due to injuries. Nait didn’t run due to his IT band injury and Harrison dropped out due to a knee problem. Natalie Pil was not able to race due to not having a valid physical on file. Regardless, our Mariners put up a good fight with Erik and Elise leading our team in their respective races. Moss Junker, Eli Connors, Kaden Matthias, and Henry Richins all ran as a pack and finished with PRs on our course. Despite Elise finishing a commanding 1st, we were not able to hold off the wave of Sturgis East runners who finished from 2nd to 7th.

STURGISEASTathome

FA travelled to Sandwich to race against Sturgis West on their home course at the Oak Crest Cove Disc Golf venue. The course is great for spectators and has a killer hill but is only 2.7 miles long. Once again, Riverview was paired with us and participated in the race. The boys did an amazing job with Nait Gartner coming off the injured list to lead FA to a commanding win. The girls were led by Elise Casso but again lacked team Captain Natalie Pil due to her annual medical checkup scheduled for the same day. The race had boys and girls running together. Our strategy for the boys was to run as a pack and to run to win, not for time. The times reflect this and we split the win with Sturgis West.

STURGISWEST

The Frank Kelly invitational was our first large meet this year, with teams from accross New England ready to test their mettle. The race format allows coaches to run their athletes against those of similar age/experience, such as Freshmen/Sophmore races or Junior/Senior. FA is not a large program so we did not field a scoring team of five or more runners in any of the races, however our individual athletes did do quite well. Elise Casso placed a very respectable 15th overall in the FR/SO girls 3k while Nait Gartner flew to second in his FR/SO boys 3k. Racing in an invitational can be intimidating but each of our athletes met that challenge and ran exceptional races that improved on previous performances.

FRANKKELLY INVITATIONALWrentham

Nait ran an exceptional race following the “ABC” (Always Be Closing) strategy to avenge his loss to Voss on our course last year. Elise again won commandingly by a minute and a half and both teams won the day. Monomoy put up quite a fight in both races but our Mariners held strong. Lizzy, Willow and Arden held off Monomoy’s 4th and 5th runners ensuring a win, while Moss, Elijah, and Henry ran as a pack to close out the scoring with Kaden and Weston close on their heels.

The weather was sunny and a bit warm for the middle of October but still a great day for running.

The FA boys came out strong and dominated for most of the race led by Nait Gartner (1st), Erik Gulmann (2nd), and Wylie Wakefield (3rd). Liam Jatczak (4th) was the leader for CCA but FA was able to place Henry Richins (5th) and Elijah Connors (6th) before they could score again.

The girls race was almost the inverse. Falmouth Academy’s Elise Casso (1st) led her team in a convincing individual win but CCA brought an equally impressive team that placed Quinn Powers (2nd), Gigi Wilson (3rd), Lily Chaprales (4th), and Grace McGlinchey (5th) before FA could place Natalie Pil (6th). CCA won the day with 21 (winner) to FA’s 40. SJPII did not have 5 athletes.

CAPECOD ACADEMY&StJOHNPAULIIathome

The Bob Glennon Twilight meet is held at the Cape Cod Fairgrounds and draws team from across New England, as far off as New Hampshire and Connecticut. We are fortunate to be at FA so we didn’t have far to go and most parents were able to be there to cheer on our Harriers as the sun began to set. Almost the entire team had amazing performances with personal best times across the board. Many on the team were still new to large invitationals and the thunder of feet and gasping of breath at the start can be intimidating. Nait, Erik, Wylie, Elise, and Natalie all ran their personal best for 5k and were in great spirits. Everyone on the team gave their all and it showed.

BOBGLENNON TWILIGHT-CapeCodFairgrounds

Falmouth Academy Cross Country 2023

We crossed the Cape Cod Canal to face Rising Tide on their home course which is at a recreational park around a pond. The weather was damp and balmy for mid October, allowing runners to still compete in just their singlets and shorts. The boys team came in with a clear advantage over RT but there was some concern among the girls as to the outcome. Coach Cullinane told them in no uncertain terms that they could win if they wanted it, and they proved him correct. There was a bit of a delay as Rising Tide had to wait for a charter bus that was busy with their soccer team to return and take them to the course, which is not located near their school. Both FA teams shined and performed as expected. The boys ran a tactical, conservative race as a pack while each girl stepped up and ensured a win.

RISINGTIDE

Riverview was partnered with FA this year and thus came to all our home meets. We raced them multiple times before deciding among the coaching staff of both schools that the meet we would use to count would be our race against Nantucket. Riverview had many good athletes and always tried their best which was a great example for our FA team. The weather was pleasant and we took a moment to enjoy this last dual meet of the year. The parents who form our unofficial booster club brought food and drinks for after the race. We took a few photos for this yearbook, including the two team photos of the captains being held up by their teammates. The coaching staff is proud of all that the teams have achieved this year from growing the program to our team records. Success was marked by all of the smiles.

RIVERVIEWathome

The last meet of the season was against our friends from Nantucket and Riverview. Three of our top runners were either nursing nagging injuries or had a scheduled event they had to attend.

On the girls side, this meant that the Whalers had a successful voyage here, running very well over our difficult course. Despite losing to Nantucket’s strong team, each of the girls ran great times for themselves and should be proud of their personal achievements. Nait Gartner was out so Erik Gulmann rose to the challenge with a PR, which was also the third fastest time on our course and an FA record. Wakefield led the rest of the team as a pack consisting of Webb, Junker, Connors and Richins to win the day. Natalie Pil led the girls with a third place finish.

NANTUCKETathome

The Cape & Island Championship was held at Dennis Yarmouth this year and represented a large number of schools from across the Cape (7 girls, 11 boys). The girls ran first and placed 6th overall. They did well compared to their times ealier in the season and should be proud of all they achieved despite the heat. Arden, Seomae, Lila, and Giovanna all ran personal bests of over a minute. The boys believed they could unseat Sturgis East, who had beaten us soundly earlier in the season, due to a few injured runners on the sidelines. Sadly, we had one more wrinkle as Erik Gulmann had to sit out due to knee pain. The boys still ran well with Nait placing 5th and the rest of the boys running equal to or exceeding their personal best. Coach Olson inspired the team with a new FA XC haircut.

CAPE&ISLANDS CHAMPS-DennisYarmouth

We only took a few runners to Wrentham to race this weekend but we had an impressive showing. Nait and Elise took first in both the boys and girls small school sophomore races and almost everyone else had a personal best. The weather was cool and partly sunny with little wind which helped everone who ran. Both Nait and Elise ran times that would have been tops in the large school sophomore division later in the day.

There was a great buzz about Falmouth Academy, a small school from Cape Cod winning both the boys and girls sophomore races and what kind of program was being built there. Everyone had an amazing day and the coaching staff was thrilled at the effort that the team put forth. Elise’s time of 19:28 is an FA girls 5k record and Nait’s time of 16:17 is an FA boys 5k record.

FRANKMOONEY INVITATIONALWrentham

Falmouth Academy Cross Country 2023

We returned to Wrentham to race the Mass State Division 2C Championships. Falmouth Academy was bumped up to Division 2C this year, and now had to compete against schools with a population several times our size. Individually, we had a number of issues to overcome. Nait came down with COVID and was only cleared to compete the morning of the race. Erik was troubled with knee pain, and Elise was nursing some shin pain. Regardless of these issues, the entire team ran well and can be proud of what we achieved with the boys running a team spread of 2:59. Nait and Elise qualified as individuals for the Massachusetts All State Cross Country Meet the next week at Devens, MA. For the rest of the team, this was the end of a very good season and another step forward for the entire program.

MASSSTATEDIVIICWrentham

Elise and Nathan qualified for the All State Meet as individuals despite the team being bumped into Division 2C this year. We had a typical 50 degree sunny, wet, and raw New England day for late November at the Devens, MA course. The 5k course consists of three loops, with two hills, one which runs through a wooded area and is quite challenging.

Nathan was still recovering from his bout of COVID two weeks earlier and Elise was feeling under the weather with a cold but neither showed any interest in sitting the race out. Nathan ran a smart race and clocked a decent time given his challenges this year.

Elise used her position in box 5 to stay to the outside and move up early without being cut off. Both Mariners can be proud of the effort they put in this season, and they capped it with great performances.

MASSALLSTATEMEET-Devens

Oprah Winfry once said, “Running is the great metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it.” Success requires commitment, discipline, hard work, a bit of talent, and a willingness to persevere. Cross Country runners (or Harriers) balance that discomfort and hard work with days of easy runs and fun distractions such as running at the beach, jumping into the punch bowl, ending runs at Dairy Queen, or watching a Cross Country themed movie after practice. A maxim of life: work hard and enjoy the good stuff. Our Fun Fridays have become a hotly anticipated day among the team, and an equally vexing problem for the coaches. ‘What can we do that will allow us to do an easy run, but still give us a fun diversion from the mundane?’ So far, so good as long as ice cream is involved.

FUNFRIDAYSatFalmouthAcademy

Volunteering is an important aspect of being part of a community. As runners we must ensure that our sport in all its forms continues to thrive. Our team took valuable time out of their already packed schedules to volunteer at two local races. We worked with the Cape Cod Marathon (1/2 Marathon day) food tent, as well as Falmouth in the Fall working the finish line area and clean up. The team raised $1,000 this year for our efforts and can use those funds on equipment, clothing, or any other item that is deemed necessary to help the next generation of FA Harriers. Last year we were able to purchase a cart to move our gear at away meets as well as a team feather and “insta-bench.” This year we are looking at a number of items that help with training as well as improving the experience at races.

VOLUNTEERINGatFalmouthAcademy

Falmouth Academy CROSS COUNTRY 2023

LIGHTHOUSE DIVISION

STURGIS EAST

STURGIS WEST

MONOMOY

CAPE COD ACADEMY

ST. JOHN PAUL II

RISING TIDE

RIVERVIEW

NANTUCKET

BOYS (7-1) GIRLS (4-4)

LOSS (38-20) LOSS (42-20)

WIN (18-47) LOSS (31-24)

WIN (25-33) WIN (26-30)

WIN (17-44) LOSS (40-21)

WIN (20- )* WIN (24- )*

WIN (22-35) WIN (20-37)

WIN (16-47) WIN (24-33)

WIN (19-48) LOSS (36-19)