At pretty much every cross country meet this year, the same face appears at the front of the pack of top runners. That face belongs to senior Chris Zaino.
Zaino has been at the helm on the boys’ cross country team, holding the second fastest time in the state with a 16:05.0. He has also consistently been the top finisher on the team, and one of the best in DI.
“Chris has been the leader of our team,” boys’ cross country coach Mr. Smith said. “He worked hard all summer long and the results have shown. He’s been our best runner all year long.”
Zaino finished third overall at the Manchester Invitational, second overall at the Nashua Invitational, and finished first in the Exeter/Pinkerton meet. With this performance, he has been ranked the first overall in DI.
“Chris has done tremendous,” senior Declan Hotter said. “He came out of the blue. He started ranked as the number 16 returning runner in the state and is now first.”
As the varsity roster continues to change, Zaino has provided a consistency that Smith is looking for.
“We have had to deal with a few injuries during the season,” Smith said. “But Chris has been able to stay healthy and continuously perform at the top level.”
