Hingham kicked off their first home meet of the season this year against Duxbury. On Tuesday, September 22nd, members of both teams lined up on Hingham’s starting line and prepared for the three loop course. 

The 2.98 mile course is mostly flat, with a route that circles around Hingham’s soccer and field hockey fields. The Hingham runners had the advantage of a home course, but Duxbury’s girls team was coming off of a win against Marshfield. Still, Hingham was hopeful going into the race. Senior captain Abbey George stated, “I know Duxbury has some runners that will be difficult to beat, but hopefully we can get out fast.” George also mentioned that the competition would be a helpful factor in driving the team forward. 

The Hingham Boys team took the win against the opposing team with respective scores of 25 and 32. Standout performances included Will Watts (17:17), James Hamilton (17:56.8), Austin Smith (18:18.4), and Nolan Kust (18:40.8). Despite Duxbury runners J. James O’Donnell (17:18.1), Kyle Kacamburas (18:04.5), and Jack Geisler (18:16.1) taking second, fourth, and fifth place, Hingham’s first five runners had the lowest finishing paces when added. 

For the girls teams, Duxbury ended with a score of 19 and Hingham with 40, putting Duxbury in the lead. Their win is attributed to their standout runners, Riley Earle (21:17), Bella Williamson (21:19.1), Alison Murphy (21:25.6), and Ella Coghlan (21:45.9). These runners placed first, second, third, sixth, and seventh. Hingham broke up the opposing team between their third and sixth runners with Leonie Eigenmann (21:32.2) and Samantha Jesson (21:41.6). 

The Hingham girls may have lost this race, but they see room for growth in the future. HHS senior Coco Berube said, “I think the team performed well and has been improving a lot over the last couple of weeks. It was definitely a tough race but the girls are amazing!” Coco believes that she speaks for the whole team when she notes that Hingham is ready for their next home meet against Plymouth North.