St. Andrew’s girls cross-country team took the county by storm by winning the New Castle County championship meet at Winterthur this past Saturday, November 5.

Lily Murphy ’23, Leah Horgan ’25, and Lia Miller ’23 each climbed three places over the final mile to finish among the top 10 runners, while Claire Hulsey ’26 and Caroline Meers ’24 almost finished in the top 25. All five Saints earned All-County honors.

“The girls are so excited and have so much to be proud of,” said girls cross-country Head Coach Jenny Carroll. “It was a whole team effort and accomplishment.”

It was also a somewhat unexpected accomplishment against excellent competition. The county meet brings together all teams across New Castle County’s two cross-country divisions, Division 1 (larger schools) and Division 2 (smaller schools). Three weeks earlier, Division 1 powerhouse Padua dominated the Joe O’Neill Invitational, and Tatnall also sported a trio of runners that ended up finishing 1-2-3 in the county race.

“This [win] really wasn’t on our radar whatsoever. We were going to be happy with third or second place,” said Murphy via Delaware Online, who led the trio’s acceleration on the second half of the 5,000-meter course. “At about 1.5 miles, I start packing it down. For me, the last 800 meters is a sprint.”

That sprinting mindset is embedded in the cross-country team. St. Andrew’s top five girls are from five different states and have to train virtually with one another over the summer in preparation for the season. That hard work paid off once the team set foot on campus.

“The dynamic of us three is nice for pushing each other. It’s L-cubed,” said Horgan, referring to the first letters of the three leaders’ names.

The victory is a cherry on top in what has been an excellent season. They wrap up the year with the Division 2 State Championship meet on Saturday at Killens Pond State Park.

Photos below include the county championship meet, and the team's Delaware Independent School Conference championship win from October 27.