The girls of Tabor Academy’s track team are new to the whole undefeated thing, and they’re not exactly sure what to make of it.

“My freshman year we had eight girls that actually ran the final race…and we got last in New Englands,” said Julia O’Rourke.

Four years later, the girls were surprised to best Windsor School, last year’s New England champions, in their first meet of the season.

It’s been a long time coming for the team as a whole and for senior captains O’Rourke and Gwen McCain and sophomore Lulu Russell, all Marion girls who first started running Tabor’s turf around age 7. The girls were part of the Marion Mile, a summer program started by Tabor boys track coach Chris Adams to get kids running at least one mile a week.

“The Marion Mile makes you like running and it makes it fun,” said McCain. “When it’s fun you do it, then it becomes competitive.”

The program set the tone for weekly meets by encouraging improvement, said O’Rourke. And Coach Adams has continued to cheer them on, said the girls.

“He takes an active interest in all of our running careers. He definitely inspired us,” said O’Rourke.

Adams got some of the girls started with their running careers, but the girls attribute coach Kelli McSweeny to bringing the team to a, so far, undefeated season.

“McSweeny won’t tell you, but it’s definitely in part because of her,” said O’Rourke. “She came back to the team and recruited a lot of girls.”

McSweeny was away from the game for about eight years before she returned to coaching. In her opinion, it’s the combination of the girls on the team that has resulted in such a strong front.

“I don’t know that I’ll ever have a team like this again,” she said. “I’m just trying to be very aware that this team is pretty unique.”

McSweeny has had a lot of the same girls on the team for the past two or three years, and that has helped develop a strong team spirit. Plus, said Russell, many of the girls run at the same pace.

“We’ve had one really fast person for a while and that’s good to have, but this year our group, we call it a belly…who can all run together. It really helps bring our team up rather than having just a few girls on top,” she said.

The new found victories are helping propel the team forward, but they’re trying to take it in stride.

“We’re not necessarily going for the undefeated season,” said O’Rourke. “We’re taking it one race at a time.”

If the winning streak continues, however, they could have the first undefeated season for the team in Tabor Academy history.

“This is a new feeling for us,” said McSweeny. “We said top three, but now our aim is a little bit higher. It’s one race at a time. We don’t take anything for granted.”

“The Marion Mile makes you like running and it makes it fun,” said McCain. “When it’s fun you do it, then it becomes competitive.”

The program set the tone for weekly meets by encouraging improvement, said O’Rourke. And Coach Adams has continued to cheer them on, said the girls.

“He takes an active interest in all of our running careers. He definitely inspired us,” said O’Rourke.

Adams got some of the girls started with their running careers, but they attribute Coach Kelli McSweeny to bringing the team to a, so far, undefeated season.

“McSweeny won’t tell you, but it’s definitely in part because of her,” said O’Rourke. “She came back to the team and recruited a lot of girls.”

McSweeny was away from the game for about eight years before she returned to coaching. In her opinion, it’s the combination of the girls on the team that has resulted in such a strong front.

“I don’t know that I’ll ever have a team like this again,” she said. “I’m just trying to be very aware that this team is pretty unique.”

McSweeny has had a lot of the same girls on the team for the past two or three years, and that has helped them to develop a strong team spirit. Plus, said Russell, many of the girls run at the same pace.

“We’ve had one really fast person for a while and that’s good to have, but this year our group, we call it a belly…who can all run together. It really helps bring our team up rather than having just a few girls on top,” she said.

The newfound victories are helping propel the girls forward, but they’re trying to take it in stride.

“We’re not necessarily going for the undefeated season,” said O’Rourke. “We’re taking it one race at a time.”

If the winning streak continues, however, they could have the first undefeated season for the team in Tabor Academy history.

“This is a new feeling for us,” said McSweeny. “We said top three, but now our aim is a little bit higher. It’s one race at a time. We don’t take anything for granted.”