Wellesley Athletes of the Week: Cross Country’s Ben Aronson & Bridget Reidy
Wellesley Athlete of the Week is made possible with sponsorship support from Deland, Gibson Insurance. The family-owned and operated business has carried on this Wellesley tradition for over 30 years.
Athlete of the Week: Ben Aronson
Sport: Boys cross country; senior captain
When & how you got involved in this sport: I started running competitively on a team in 6th grade. Outside of that, I had only done local fun runs like the Schofield 5k and the Turkey Trot.
What you love most about this sport: I love that running rewards hard work; it’s gratifying to see positive results after training hard. For me, that translates not only to the amount I run, but to recovery—nutrition, sleep, stretching, etc.
Pre-race ritual: I don’t really have a set routine/ritual; it often varies meet by meet.
Top goal for this season: My goals are to run 15:45 in the 5k and for our team to place top 10 in the state.
Thoughts about this year’s team: I think we are strong. We have a lot of depth and people really put in work over the summer, which is showing in our races. We definitely have high potential, especially with two more months to train.
An accomplishment that you’re especially proud of: I am proud of running under 5 minutes in the mile my freshman year. I trained throughout all of indoor and outdoor track for that one specific goal and it came down to the final meet. At the meet I had a breakthrough and ran 4:56. I’m particularly proud of that race because it was an accumulation of hard work over the course of 6 months.
An inspiring story related to your involvement in the sport/this team: Last year, Stephen, who was a senior at the time, had a rough injury at the begin of the season. As a result, he missed out on over half of our races and started training late. However, he always maintained a positive attitude and he came back from injury stronger than ever. He ended up racing extremely well and helped the team a lot. Stephen is someone I really look up to not only as a runner but as a leader.
Interests outside of your sport: I have been bouldering a lot recently. I got into it two summers ago and found it really fun. It’s also not bad for building muscle strength that helps with running.
Coach Colin Corkery on Ben Aronson: Ben Aronson has been our leading runner this season. This past weekend he finished 17th out of 233 runners and had a personal record time of 16:05 for 5,000 meters at the Frank Kelley Invitational in Wrentham. As one of the captains of the team, he has been helping to inspire and support his teammates to do their best. Ben has been instrumental in creating a culture where guys work exceedingly hard both at practices and races, too. He’s been a source of tremendous positive energy for the team this season.
Athlete of the Week: Bridget Reidy
Sport: Girls cross country; senior
When & how you got involved in this sport: I started running in middle school as a way to train for soccer, but going into high school I decided to switch to running full time as my primary sport. I always say that this is the best decision I’ve ever made!
What you love most about this sport: I love the team and community of this sport and how everyone is always there supporting each other. Running can be a very individual sport because everyone is running for themselves and for their own time, but every year I’ve been on the team, we have always had the focus of driving the team spirit and camaraderie. I have met my closest friends on this team and for that i am eternally grateful.
Pre-race ritual: I always listen to music before I race!
Top goal for this season: For this season, my goal is have fun! I want to remember all the positives and fun experiences of cross country having this be my last season. I also want to do well this season and I’m hoping to be able to run sub 19:00 again.
Thoughts about this year’s team: Our team is filled with so much talent this year- from freshman brand new to the sport to seniors who have run for 4 years, we have so many speedy girls on the team and such a positive environment and I’m excited for when we all race together at invitationals.
An accomplishment that you’re especially proud of: I am very proud of my course record I hold at our home course at Morses Pond. This is when I PR’d with a time of 18:56 and had the best race mentally and physically. I felt so supported by my team and family and friends going into this race and I think this is one of the reasons I was able to run so fast.
An inspiring story related to your involvement in the sport/this team: One inspiring story is when my friend Audrey Fitzpatrick (who is a freshman at Virginia Tech) won the Bay State conference meet after working hard for the whole season. Watching her win that race and be so happy after the race reminded me why I love the sport.
Interests outside of your sport: Outside of running, I spend a lot of time with my family and friends. My favorite school subjects are English and psychology. I also am a part of challenge success club to promote success that is outside of academics. During the summer I teach sailing to little kids and spend time with childhood friends.
What other sports do you play, if any? I want to thank my coaches Cassie and Griff for all of their support and help throughout the past four years. They have made me into a confident leader and a strong runner and I wouldn’t be the runner or person I am without their guidance.
Coach John Griffith on Bridget Reidy: Bridget is always positive, reliable, and approachable to her teammates. Her hard work and dedication is a major influence on our younger athletes. Bridget is a leader on and off the field and I can’t wait to see her achieve her individual accomplishments. I know she will do anything to help meet our team goals as well.
