Three-Sport Star: Pentucket's Conover focused on cross country -- for now

Dave Dyer, The Daily News of Newburyport, Mass.
·2 min read

Oct. 27—Fortunately for Pentucket, junior Audrey Conover enjoys a little variety in her life.

An All-Cape Ann League selection who had 44 goals last year, Conover is a standout lacrosse player from West Newbury who is already being recruited in that sport. She also plays basketball for John McNamara's powerhouse hoops program.

Those two sports, with the endless training and club team commitments, could keep Conover plenty busy year-round, including in the fall.

But Conover started running cross country in middle school and she's now a valuable member of what could be Pentucket's best-ever girls cross country team. It just finished its second straight undefeated regular season as Cape Ann League champs, and it showed its overall prowess by finishing third at the rugged Bob McIntyre Invitational.

"Without a doubt, this is the best team we've had and definitely the deepest one," said Pentucket coach Todd Ruland. "We have seven or eight girls who can jump in and contribute and we've never had that."

Depth is definitely vital in cross country but, for the big meets, successful teams need a standout top three and that's where Conover comes in. Pentucket boasts a terrific No. 1 runner in senior Phoebe Rubio and sophomore star Kaylie Dalgar isn't far behind at No. 2, and then comes Conover to provide a strong top three.

"She's a great No. 3 runner — very consistent," said Ruland. "She works hard and is really involved even though lacrosse is her main sport."

Conover, while admitting that lacrosse is her top priority, is totally focused on cross country in the fall. In preparation, she makes sure to get in her summer running, scheduling it around commitments for both basketball and lacrosse.

"I like cross country a lot — I always have — and there's such good camaraderie on the team," said Conover, who was the No. 2 runner as a freshman prior to the arrival of Dalgar. "I wouldn't want to give it up. I like doing three sports."

Eventually, Conover knows that, when college rolls around, she'll have to concentrate on lacrosse, a development she has mixed feelings about.

"I will definitely miss the other sports, but it will be nice to focus on just one," she said.

Until then, Conover will relish her joy of being a three-sport athlete and Pentucket will reap the dividends.