Girls Varsity & JV Cross Country

Becky Purdy came to the Island in 1998 as a dorm affiliate and joined the Communications Office in 2001. In 2003 she joined the girls cross country coaching staff and has been the head coach since 2005. During her time at the helm, her teams have won numerous Founders League championships and have earned several plaques for finishing among the top three teams at the Division I New England Championships, including a New England team title in 2022. She has produced hundreds of All-League harriers and multiple All-New England runners, including individual New England champions.

Becky's coaching philosophy focuses on team success through camaraderie, competition, and courage. With 30 or more girls on her squad each year, her training program brings significant individual improvement across the roster while fostering the close-knit culture that defines Loomis Chaffee cross country.

Becky competed in cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track throughout high school and college. At Williams College, where she was graduated magna cum laude in 1987, she captained all three teams, including both her junior and senior years as a cross country captain. One of the top distance runners at Williams throughout her college career, she set several college records in indoor and outdoor track events. Becky still runs and participates in half marathons and other road races. When she's not out on the cross country course with her team, she works as associate director of communications at Loomis, serving as managing editor of the school magazine and writing for and editing a variety of print and digital publications at the school. She and her husband, English teacher and coach Scott Purdy, live on campus, and have two daughters, Erika ’15 and Cameron ’18.

Katharine came to the Island in the summer of 2022 after graduating from Wellesley College. She holds a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and teaches a handful of electives in the History, Philosophy & Religious Studies Department. Her most recent role has her working in the Norton Center for the Common Good, which focuses on tangential ways of living out the school’s mission through programming, speakers, and more. Outside of the classroom, Katharine has coached cross country, squash, robotics, and track and field. She lives on campus in Culbert Hall with her puppy, and they both enjoy running in the Meadows and the friendliness of the Loomis community.