Diminutive Saint stands tall; takes 7th
FOSTER — St. Raphael Academy sophomore Rachael Mongeau wasn’t the tallest participant to toe the starting line at Sunday’s Rhode Island High School Girls’ Cross Country Championships, yet she was clearly one of the most determined.
Mongeau found herself in a bind shortly after the starter’s pistol sounded. She was boxed out, which in cross-country speak is code for being forced to the outside of the pack you had your eye on joining. Fortunately, Mongeau was able to hang tough and display a cool resolve that enabled her to make her move as the race shifted to the covered bridge portion of the challenging yet picturesque Reservation course.
“There was a lot of elbowing and a couple times, I stumbled in the mud,” said Mongeau. “I didn’t know if I was going to lose my pace, but I went for it.”
In the end, Mongeau stood tall with a seventh-place finish that doubled as a personal-best time of 19 minutes, 25 seconds. She’s believed to be the first SRA female harrier to earn First-Team AllState honors since the mid 1990s.
“She ran out of her mind today. She didn’t leave anything out there,” said a beaming St. Raphael head coach Chris Magill. “Since the summer, she’s listened to everything I’ve asked her to do. That’s the key.”
Fresh off a gold-medal performance at the Class C meet, Mongeau was the lone St. Raphael girl to participate in Sunday’s state meet. Her coach mapped out a game-plan that called for Magill’s star pupil to start out on the conservative side before making her move during the second half of the race.
“She’s not one of the elite runners just yet, but she continues to do everything right,” said Magill. “Her future looks extremely bright.”
Right now, Mongeau finds herself at the stage where her ability is dictating her training regimen.
“She trains with the guys a lot. We do what we can to help her and in many ways, she’s benefited from that,” said Magill. “She goes out and runs and doesn’t even realize that her pace on a normal training day is pretty good.”
Initially, Mongeau would have been satisfied had she finished in the top 15. Thanks to Sunday’s performance, she’s now earned
the distinction as a cross-country runner to watch over the next few seasons.
“When the summer started, I trained by myself and worked really hard. When coach Magill came onboard, the whole team started to get together and everyone got faster. Even after the first day, I noticed that I had improved by a full minute,” said Mongeau. “This feels really good. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished and all the hard work that went into it.”
Next for Mongeau is an appearance at the New England regional meet that’s on the docket for this coming Saturday in Manchester, N.H. Locally, Mongeau will be joined at the New Englands by Cumberland sophomore Bailee Brown, who finished Sunday’s meet in 25th place with a time of 20:14. R.I. CROSS COUNTRY STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
At Ponaganset High School Sunday
GIRLS
Team standings
1. Portsmouth 55; 2. Barrington 95; 3. South Kingstown 99; 4. La Salle 101; 5. East Greenwich 131; 6. Coventry 177; 7. North Kingstown 178; 8. Chariho 216; 9. Westerly 278; 10. Cumberland 304; 11. Smithfield 316; 12. Wheeler 355; 13. Mount Hope 377; 14. Bay View 384; 15. Pilgrim 393.
Local placements
7. Rachael Mongeau (St. Raphael) 19:25; 25. Bailee Brown ( Cumberland) 20:14; 44. Lucy Noris (Blackstone Valley Prep) 21:03; 62. Riley Specht (Lincoln) 21:35; 67. Olivia Belt (Cumberland) 21:52; 68. Abbey O’Hern (Lincoln) 21:55; 69. Chloe Jacinto (Cumberland) 21:58; 72. Carson Cole (Lincoln) 22:06; 73. Victoria LaMontagne (Burrillville) 22:06; 74. Isabel Costa (Burrillville) 22:08; 84. Nikki Felice (Burrillville) 22:28; 86. Elizabeth Pickering (Cumberland) 22:35; 88. Madison Tiner (North Smithfield) 22:42; 97. Sarah O’Connell (Cumberland) 22:54; 109. Kaitlyn Pristawa (Burrillville) 23:26; 111. Emma Gaudreau (Cumberland) 23:28.