St. Andrew’s was the name to be remembered after the White Clay Creek Classic, with three Saints finishing first in their races, 14 in the top ten, and seven in the top five.

Reporter Brandon Holveck of The News Journal found three top-performing Saints after the race—Leah Horgan ’25, Peter Bird ’25, and Henry Bird ’25—to share their thoughts on this early-showing of Saints starpower on the hilly trails of White Clay. 

“I was just trying to go out to race today,” said Peter Bird, who placed second in the senior race, in the interview. “Really, not with a time in mind, not even really with a place in mind, just to go out with a good effort and try and stick with it … I remember seniors when I started who I looked up to so much and I just really hope [our newer runners] can get that kind of experience from the older guys on our team.”

Seth Gerdeman ’28, Henry Bird, and Horgan finished first in their races, split by grade and gender. Horgan, who finished at 19:10.6, shaved 40 seconds off her time from her performance last year at the same race, hosted annually by Newark High School.  

Henry Bird’s first-place finish put him on the ballot for Delaware Online’s Week 2 Athlete of the Week. He set a school record for the course at 16:48.8 seconds in the sophomore race, breaking the 16:55.75 school record set by his brother Peter Bird the previous year. 

But that record only lasted about an hour—Peter Bird set the school record again in the senior race at 16:35.0. 

Chris Onsomu ’25, too, matched the previous school record with his time of 16:55.5 and, according to head coach Dan O’Connell, has continued to raise the bar for team culture as captain. 

Maggie Baker ’27 also impressed with a 20:56.8 third-place finish in her first race with St. Andrew’s. Claire Hulsey ’26 took home a third-place medal in the junior race at 21:30.9. 

Boys cross-country placed third out of 10 teams, and girls cross-country second out of seven, with the top 20 runners in each division earning points for their team. 

O’Connell points to “tremendous devotion” to summer training from a number of Saints as a reason for the day’s success. 

“Summer training is the most difficult aspect of running cross-country, and one of the most vital,” he says. “Their summer mileage has made it possible for them to tackle long and intense workouts with gusto and without injury.”

Read the full results of the boys race here and girls race here. Only weeks into the season, a bright journey remains ahead for Saints cross-country.