Rhode Islanders show out at Highland Park
ATTLEBORO — With invitational meets in Attleboro, Amherst, Martha’s Vineyard and Longmeadow all being contested, the talent pool was spread out throughout the Bay State but there was still plenty on hand at the Highland Park Cross Country Invitational on the Mark Coogan Cross Country Course in Attleboro.
Conditions were perfect for La Salle (Rhode Island) Academy’s Jack Casey as he was able to put some daylight between himself and teammate Adam Thibodeau in the final 50 meters to capture the varsity race in a quick time of 15:57.1 over the hilly 3.1-mile route. Thibodeau was a second back in 15:58.1.
Marblehead’s Peter Clifford was the top Massachusetts runner as he sprinted home for fifth in 16:40.4. He led his squad to a third-place finish with 81 points behind La Salle (29 points) and East Greenwich, R.I. (73 points)
Clifford was part of a fiverunner pack that passed the opening mile in 5:02. Casey and Thibodeau, along with East Greenwich’s Nick Martin (third, 16:03.7), forged ahead soon after and it became a two-runner race with 800 meters remaining. Seekonk’s Zakery Laverdiere and Lexington’s Graham Bracken cracked the top 10 in sixth and 10th respectively.
Lauren Augustyn of Bishop Feehan finished a strong fourth in the varsity race in 19:30.8 to lead the Shamrocks to second in the team competition (46 points) behind East Greenwich (39 points). Clara Fu of Lexington was fifth in 19:49.3 and the Shamrocks had two more runners in the top ten with Anna Boyd (seventh) and Elizabeth Borah (ninth).
Augustyn, a sophomore, is happy with the strides she is making on the trails. “I was so close to my PR today (19:26),” she said. “It’s good because it is so early in the season. I wanted to get out fast with the top runners in a pack, but the first girl (Reese Fahys of East Greenwich) flew and I couldn’t catch up to her without running out of breath. Along the last 600 meters I was passed and moved to fourth. I’m going to improve so much and I’m super excited about that.”
Fahys bolted through the opening mile in 5:28 and 2 miles in 11:20 on the way to crushing the field. The junior set a new course record of 17:50.9, more than a minute in front of teammate Rylee Shunney (18:52.7).
Marblehead’s Will Cerrutti copped the lone Massachusetts win as he manhandled the freshman field with an easy 10:36.2 victory over the 3K course. East Greenwich’s Luke Allen was a distant second in 11:01.3 and Caiden Sears of Seekonk clinched third with his 11:03.2.
Like Fahys in the varsity race, Keaney Bayha of Pilgrim High School (West Warwick, R.I.) turned the freshman event into a rout. Sayha had a whopping 1:19.4 edge over second-place finisher Emily Clarke of East Greenwich with her winning time of 12:15.1. Massachusetts dominated the race after the top-two finishers by sweeping every place to 21st.
Bayha, a freshman, finished in the top 25 in Rhode Island as a sixth and seventh grader.