Northmen’s Masi earns individual honors at Chase
jbaker@pawtuckettimes.com
LINCOLN – North Smithfield High junior Nick Masi admitted he finds the undulating, uneven 3.1-mile track at Chase Farm Park, the home for Lincoln High’s harriers, incredibly challenging.
He nevertheless tamed the dragon during a Northern Division quadruple meet on Monday afternoon, finishing it in a superb 18:10.
While it was good enough to win the boys’ individual crown, the Northmen didn’t have the Lions’ quality or depth as the hosts swept the Northmen (21-37), Central Falls (15-50), North Providence (15-50) and Woonsocket (17-43).
“It’s brutal,” Masi stated nonchalantly. “It’s probably the second toughest course in the state; Ponaganset’s No. 1 because of the second mile. Most of it is straight uphill.
“I’ve been trying to dip into the low 17s consistently, but that’s on a relatively easy course, which this isn’t,” he added. “I think last year I ran 18:30 here, so I’m showing improvement, so I can’t be too upset. It’s a PR, and I’ll take it. It’s also my first-ever varsity win, so it feels great.”
When asked if he was anticipating a victory, he offered, “I knew coming in Lincoln always has a few really good runners, so I didn’t know what to expect. I know they had one distance guy in the low 17s, and he’s beaten me before, but he didn’t run (Monday).”
Masi referred to junior Nick Gaitanis, who stated he hasn’t been cleared to com- pete yet due to a bout with mononucleosis. His teammates, however, made the most of his absence, despite the fact they didn’t want to.
Junior Chris Lezon placed second overall in 18:40, while senior Boyd Foster claimed third (18:52), junior Bryan Roy fourth (19:41), Aiden Fletcher sixth (20:24) and Brendan L’Esperance 10th (20:43) as the Lions upped their league mark to 6-1.
“It’s an OK time, especially on a day like this,” Foster said afterward. “It was so hot out there. We’ve been running in cooler weather for, like, the past week, but – luckily – we trained in this kind of stuff over the summer, so we’re used to it.
Lezon explained his 18:40 was a lifetime best on this course, so he was elated. That didn’t mean, though, it was an easy trek.
“The weather was a factor, with it being so warm and humid,” he noted. “My biggest worry was placement because I wanted to help the team win.”
The Villa Novans (3-3) utilized a No. 5 finish by junior Drew Paskanik (20:23) to snag triumphs over the Cou- gars (19-36), Warriors (1550) and Pats (17-38), while Austin Macareaux garnered 13th (21:28), Nico Laine 14th (21:41) and Eric Bedoya 15th (21:45).