St Gabriel’s celebrate most successful cross-country season ever

St Gabriel’s School is celebrating a record-breaking cross-country season, with its talented athletes excelling at local, regional, and national competitions.

At the ISA Regional Cross-Country Championships, held at Sherfield School, St Gabriel’s athletes once again rose to the occasion, battling cold and muddy conditions with determination.

The most impressive display of the day though, came again from the U14 girls (Years 8 & 9).

A standout performance from Harriet Saunders (1st), Olivia Bentley (2nd), and Annie Warner (6th) saw them completely dominate their race.

Following these outstanding results, six St Gabriel’s students—Harriet, Olivia, Annie, Jonah, Matilda, and

Elodie—by finishing in the Top 10, earned selection to represent London West at the ISA National Cross Country Finals.

In other regional races, the Junior Squads put on a dazzling display at the Thorngrove School Cross-Country Relays, where the same girls U9 team won convincingly, which was repeated 20 minutes later by the U11 girls, destroying the field and gliding into an easy victory by some margin.

Strong performances from the boys U11 team, particularly Luca Bown, propelled them to finish in 3rd place.

At the Area Cross-Country Championships held at Mary Hare School on 5 March, St Gabriel’s once again put on an outstanding performance and dominated the leader boards, with Jonah Lynch winning the Year 7 Boys Race, Liam Neil finishing 3rd in the U15 boys’ race and Harriet Saunders winning the U15 Girls Race with Olivia Bentley in 2nd, and Annie Warner in 4th.

The ISA National Cross-Country Championships (9 March) saw St Gabriel’s athletes compete against the best young runners in the country.

Once again, they demonstrated incredible strength on the national stage with some outstanding performances.

Amongst the Seniors, Harriet Saunders finished 2nd in her race, with Olivia Bentley 4th, Annie Warner 15th and Jonah Lynch achieved an impressive 7th place.

In the Juniors, Elodie Burdett (7th) and Matilda Saunders (12th) secured top finishes in a highly competitive U11 (Years 5 & 6) girls' event.

These incredible results meant that all six St Gabriel’s athletes placed within the top 15 at a national level, a remarkable achievement for the school.

As the season drew to a close, St Gabriel’s junior athletes showed no signs of slowing down.

At the West Berkshire & North Hampshire Primary Schools Cross Country (25 March) at Newbury Showground, a largescale event featuring over 1,600 competitors the Year 5/6 Girls Team placed 2nd overall, with standout performances from Elodie Burdett (2nd place), Matilda Saunders (3rd), and Ella Parsons (6th).

The Year 3/4 Girls Team placed a hugely respectable 7th place overall. While the boys teams had a strong showing with the Year 5/6 team finishing 28th and the Year 3/4 team placing 40th.

This historic season would not have been possible without the dedicated training and commitment of St

Gabriel’s athletes.

Many of these students also train with Team Kennet and Newbury Athletic Club, where they are coached by passionate volunteers who support grassroots athletics.

“We are immensely proud of our cross-country runners,” said Verity Brazendale, Cross Country Coach at St Gabriel’s.

“Their success is a testament to their hard work, perseverance, and the incredible support from their coaches.

“To have so many students competing—and excelling—at a national level is a fantastic achievement.

“We look forward to building on this success in the seasons to come.”