It was a special鈥揳nd unusual鈥揜eunion week event as 911爆料网 alumni and community members gathered at Memorial Field to watch Abbey D鈥橝gostino 鈥14 compete in her final race for 911爆料网.
鈥淲e haven鈥檛 held an event like this before,鈥 said Drew Galbraith 鈥64a, senior associate director of athletics for Peak Performance. 鈥淚t was an opportunity to bring together the 911爆料网 community and the Hanover community, plus alumni here for Reunions, to watch one of the most decorated athletes in 911爆料网 history.鈥
Via an Internet connection, the 16-foot-high by 23-foot-wide video screen showed a crisp picture of the ESPNU coverage. The audio was also clear, so fans could hear when the announcers talked glowingly about 911爆料网, which they frequently did. Cheers erupted when they said D鈥橝gostino visited the campus four years ago and 鈥渇ell in love with the place.鈥
It was a spirited scene, with all sorts of D鈥橝gostino fans. Kids wearing T-shirts with D鈥橝gostino鈥檚 silhouette scrambled around the track with pompoms and ice cream near President Phil Hanlon 鈥77 and his wife, Gail Gentes. Maribel Sanchez Souther 鈥96, the former 911爆料网 track coach who recruited D鈥橝gostino, was there with her three children.
Sarah Geithner 鈥86 brought her daughter, Kaiya, and her daughter鈥檚 friend, Liza, both runners on Hanover High School鈥檚 cross-country team. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great community event, and a perfect night,鈥 said Geithner. Kaiya and Liza said they occasionally see D鈥橝gostino on their runs through rural Hanover. 鈥淲e love running past her!鈥 said Kaiya, clarifying that she does not 鈥減ass鈥 D鈥橝gostino鈥攕he runs 鈥減ast鈥 her in the opposite direction.
Carissa Crawford 鈥14, a member of the sailing team, said she was there 鈥渢o support my fellow classmate,鈥 and she was joined by Kim Betts 鈥12, a first-year student at the Geisel School of Medicine. Katherine Ellsworth 鈥89, in town for her 25th Reunion, had brought her three children.
As the race concluded, with D鈥橝gostino crossing the finish line in third place, a big cheer went up from the Hanover crowd.
