Gabriella and Joseph Cechini spearheaded a strong showing for Mercersburg Academy as both the boys' and girls' squads earned podium finishes at the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) Cross Country Championship in New Jersey.
Hosted by The Pennington School on the Rosedale Park 5K course, the event saw competitors take to the trails in unseasonably warm conditions that felt far more reminiscent of late September than early November.
The favourable climate sparked a string of fast times for Mercersburg, with the Bucs racking up six personal records across the meet.
Gabriella Cechini delivered the standout performance of the day in the Varsity Girls 5,000m race. Setting a blistering pace near the front of the pack, she claimed a fine second-place finish, crossing the line in 19 minutes 13.1 seconds. Her silver-medal run anchored the Mercersburg girls to third place overall in the team standings with 85 points.
The boys' squad matched that podium feat in the Varsity Boys 5,000m, finishing third overall with 90 points.
Joseph Cechini produced a disciplined, front-running effort to secure a top-10 individual finish, stopping the clock at 17:56.5 to take ninth place and cap an impressive afternoon for the family and the Academy.
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