The 2021 Richard Miller Invitational

By Alex Shao ’22
​On October 2, Westminster hosted the Richard Miller Invitational on campus for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. On a sunny Saturday, 10 schools competed on the school’s trails in four distinct races, including the Seconds Boys’, Seconds Girls’, Varsity Boys’, and Varsity Girls’. Being the only home race of the season, the RMI was also a debut race for many members on the team who suffered from injuries in the first race of the year.

Overall, Westminster placed sixth out of the eight teams in the Varsity Boys’ race with co-captain Oliver Fenner ’22 placing 15th among the 54 runners with a time of just 5 seconds over 20 minutes. Following Oliver, co-captain Spencer Kwan ’22 placed 19th, running 20:26 on our school’s strenuous course. Along with the two captains was Jay Henry ’23 in 21st place, with a time just 11 seconds behind Spencer’s. Josh Mason, Sam Bradley, Jackson Davies, and Jakub McKinney also ran in the Varsity race, earning points for the school.
 
Moreover, the Varsity Girls’ had great individual performances during the race and placed sixth as a team among the seven schools that participated. Lila Smith ’25 and Jasper Paul ’22, utilizing the home advantage, won eighth and ninth place respectively. Following them was Emma Mason ’23, who, with a time of 25:34, took the 22nd place among the 45 runners. Catie McGuigan, Janessa Yan, and Madison Khuu also did their best on the course and earned points for the team. For all the Martlets that ran the race, it was a challenge with all the hills on our course. But as Coach Greenwald once said, ‘We are all racing against ourselves, not others,’ and the team saw that reflected in the fact that every harrier persevered and continued to improve their times.
 
This season, the whole team, especially Boys’ cross-country, has already faced many injuries. Yet, the runners are able to see their improvements day by day and are giving all of their energy to practice everyday. The team has already experienced several races with various difficulties and is ready for their next race, which is at Berkshire Saturday, Oct. 16.