On Tuesday, September 21, Connor McDermott dominated the Freshman XC race. However, there was something off about his presence. McDermott is a senior at Oratory, making him three years older than his opponents. Many believed that this gave Connor an unfair advantage, but he begs to differ. I sat down with McDermott to talk about his experience at the race and the challenges he faced along the way.

Q: For those who don’t know, why were you selected for this race?

A: Because of my commitment to excellence and my injured knee.

Q: What were your thoughts on competing against first-year students as a fourth-year student?

A: Age is just a number and competition sees no age.

Q: Many believe that your experience/veteran presence gives you an unfair advantage. What do you have to say to your critics?

A: I would say they’re wrong. I’d love to see them beat a bunch of freshmen.

Q: What did you do to prepare for the competition?

A: I did not need to prepare. I already knew I was going to win.

Q: All in all, are you satisfied with how you performed?

A: Personally, I want to go back and beat them harder.

Q: Obviously you were running alongside members of OP’s freshman class. What are your thoughts on their potential? Are they truly the future of OP XC?

A: I would say we’ve got a bright future, but they should be able to beat me limping.