Oosting storms to record win
WRENTHAM – As the punishing wind howled around him, Ryan Oosting wasn’t thinking about its bitter sting, or even the 166 other racers following in his wake. The Arlington cross country legend knew he had a chance to make history as he made the final dash for the finish line. He seized it. The senior shattered his latest course record yesterday, posting an eye-opening time of 15:08.33 to place first in Division 2 in the Eastern Mass. boys cross country championships at the Wrentham Developmental Center. “I actually felt strong the entire way,” Oosting said breathlessly. “In the last lap, I felt like I was working. At the Middlesex League meet, I ran just about the same, think it was a full 5k, and that felt hard. But I came back this week already running that exact pace, and that felt good.” The senior beat out the rest of the field by nearly a full 40 seconds on his way to breaking the mark set in 2013 by Burlington’s Paul Hogan. Also impressing spectators at the individual level was Brookline’s Lucas Aramburu, who crossed the finish line with a time of 15:42.82 to pace all Div. 1 runners. After bursting onto the scene this year, Aramburu will be looking to lead the Warriors into the All-State meet, which will now take place at Stanley Park in Westfield next week, rather than the originally scheduled course in Northfield. “It’s going to be a change,” Aramburu said. “It’s going to be different, but I’m excited. There’s going to be great competition there, top guys from around here. Oosting, Rishabh Prakash, I think that competition is just going to propel me forward, take me with them. And hopefully that competition will get the team on board, too.” Prakash left his mark as well, capturing the Div. 3 race (16:02.52). Anchored by first and second-place finishes by Sam Acquaviva (16:09.78) and John Lucey (16:19.38), Newburyport captured the Div. 4 championship, averaging a team time of 16:51.66 Arlington Catholic’s Sean Kay (15:55.79) took first place at the Div. 5 level, with Hunter Fagan taking the honors in Div. 6 (16:53.00) for Innovation Academy.
Girls
Grace Connolly also further entrenched herself as one of the state’s all-time greats. The Natick harrier burned through the first mile of the Div. 2 race in 5 minutes, 11 seconds on the way to destroying both the field and the Wrentham Developmental Center’s 3.1-mile record. Connolly sprinted hard over the last 100 meters to break the mark in a scintillating 17:03.05. That time was well ahead of the former course record of 17:27 set back in 2013 by Peabody great, Catarina Rocha. “We got here this morning and it was super windy and we didn’t put any pressure on the time,” Connolly said. “I was just going to go by feel. It was windy and super cold.” Connolly’s younger sister Kate was third in 18:27.57 and Natick had its five scorers finish in the top 35 to capture the team title with 72 points. Caroline Williams of Cambridge had the race of her life in Div. 1 as she set the pace for more than 2 miles and slicing more than a minute off her personal best with a second-place finish in 19:06.8. Williams, though, was shadowed by Brookline’s Vivian McMahon who decided with a half mile to go it was time. The Warriors star surged hard and instantly put 30 meters on Williams and wasn’t challenged as she finished in 18:48.6. “Over the past two years I’ve realized my kick is the best part of my race and I took advantage of that,” said McMahon. “I really started using my arms. It definitely helps me to go faster.” The Div. 3 race was the closest of the day with Hopkinton’s Olivia Jones and Ava Duggan of Milton battling on the last straightaway. Jones hung on for the win in 18:50.79 with Duggan just five meters back in 18:52.41.