SJP waltzes in Bay State win
WRENTHAM — St. John’s Prep used Saturday’s Bay State Invitational as a dress rehearsal for the big meets in November that will be held over the rolling landscape of the Wrentham Developmental Center setting.
If the Eagles are in near mid-season form now it could be downright frightening what the squad accomplishes on the 3.1-mile course when it heads back to Wrentham for EMass and All-States.
Standout Nathan Lopez led a pack of seven runners through a 4:47 opening mile and gradually pulled away to an easy 15-minute, 36.1-second victory to dominate the Red race. Teammate Charlie Tuttle was second in 15:57.0.
The Eagles averaged a time of 16:24 on the way to easily winning the team competition with 54 points to defeat Newton North (97 points) and third-place Lowell (109 points).
“The idea was to get on the course before the EMass meet because this was our only chance,” said Lopez. “We put in about a 90-percent effort. It’s obviously not what we’d do in a bigger race. I wanted to get a feel for the course and put up a decent time. I stayed with the guys through the second mile and then I inserted a little faster pace. I kind of just held it from there.”
John Finn’s Catholic Memorial squad captured the team title in the Green race, led by Chris Sullivan’s second-place finish in 15:56.4.
Aidain Ross of Uxbridge controlled the pace over the first mile and had a big lead over Sullivan by 2 miles, which he passed in a fast 9:45. Ross, a winner at last weekend’s Frank Kelley Invitational, bolted home for the scalding 15:34 win, the fastest time of the day. “I felt good the first two miles and after that it started hurting a little more,” said Ross. “The course is just so hard over the last section. You hit the back section and know you have another half-mile of hills in front of you.”
Samantha Seabury of Wakefield was able to shake Bishop Feehan’s Lauren Augustyn and Anna Boyd near the 2.2-mile mark and charged through the teardrop section near the finish for a commanding 18:49.9 victory in the girls’ Red race.
Augustyn was also under 19 minutes (18:59.3) and Boyd clinched third (19:01.6) as Bishop Feehan took the team title with 37 points. Longmeadow was a distant second (111 points) and Newburyport copped third (118 points).
Seabury knew the time was right to make a move up a short hill when she sensed Augustyn was starting to tire. “I could hear her breathing hard so I picked it up on a small hill,” said Seabury, who improved her time over the course by nearly 2 minutes since last running on it two years ago. “The first mile was fast (5:51), but I was feeling very comfortable and I didn’t worry about it at that point.”
Whitinsville Christian’s Molly Lashley had the most lopsided victory of the day in capturing the girls’ Green race. Lashley stormed out to a 40-yard lead at the mile (5:28) and had more than tripled her lead by 2 miles (11:38). Lashley concentrated on her form and pace over the final mile for the win in 18:28.2. Sophie Jennings of Notre Dame of Hingham ran well to take second in 19:19.2 followed by Macey Shriner of Plymouth North in 19:21.4.
With 49 points, Whitinsville Christian edged Milton (52) for the team championship.
Lashley said she needed to work over the last lap of the three-lap layout, but was happy with the way she controlled the race. “It was tough,” she said. “I felt strong. That last part was definitely a pusher. It’s a big PR for me since the last time I raced here so I’m really happy. My goal was to start out slower and I definitely paid for it the last two miles.”