Saints went the distance
St. Raphael track squad was dominant at distance medley
CUMBERLAND — When Chris Magill offers the two most magical sports moments of his life, he does so not so much with pride but awe – not in himself but about the greatness of the accomplishments.
To be perfectly honest, he never really thought either was possible.
Magill is 48 now, a full-time director of evaluation for a consulting business and part-time St. Raphael Academy cross-country and track & field head coach, and it’s been “ages” since his coveted distance-running days with Jim Doyle’s Saints between 1986-1990. He nevertheless recalls his achievements with great clarity.
The first came on Nov. 25, 1989, the date of the Kinney Shoes Northeast Regional Interscholastic Championships at Van Cortlandt Park in The Bronx, N.Y.
In the weeks prior, Magill – then an SRA senior – had hoped to run past friendly rival Wayne Newsome of Hope and claim the individual crown at the state championships, held at then-Bryant College, but he had to settle for runner-up honors. He also led his teammates – among them Brian DeAngelis, Alex Murray, Scott Palumbo and Larry Jordan – to second in the team standings.
With that former placement, he qualified for the New England meet and hoped to out-hustle Newsome for that title, but again took second.
“Wayne was awesome; he was a good friend of mine, and we used to train a lot together,” he stated. “Even when I was running with Saints, Mr. Doyle would include some of the Hope kids. It was sort of like the NFL, with teams having joint practices during training camp. We also ran together for the Providence Cobras.
“In fact, we actually won an age group (15-16) national title with the Cobras. There was me, Wayne, the Butler brothers (Alex and Neal) and Juan Vargas … Anyway, when Wayne and I went 1-2 at New Englands, I was pumped up; I was excited. There were a lot of great runners there. I felt like I was only getting stronger.”
Fast forward to the date of the Northeast Regionals, Magill decided to thumb through the seeding program before the meet and discovered he was ranked eighth overall.
“I thought, ‘Wow. I’m seeded that high?’ I was surprised, but psyched, because at the same meet the year before, I finished 50th, and I wasn’t thrilled by it. At the same time, there were a bunch of Rhode Islanders there (his junior campaign in ‘88) and I finished among the top from our state.
“Coach Doyle was so far before his time with training methods and the way we thought; unlike a lot of coaches, he taught us to think not only about our competition instate but also outside it, too. That’s why we went to so many invitationals. He instilled in us a confidence that we could do well outside Rhode Island.
“Anyway, I knew there were four regionals taking place, and that the top eight from each meet would qualify for the national championships in San Diego; I desperately wanted to qualify.
“I remember the day of the race the course was really sloppy; it was snowing, and I knew most runners wouldn’t like that, but I was looking forward to it,” he added. “I loved running in adverse conditions, always have. It just got me more pumped up; in my mind, I thought it might slow down some of the guys who were supposed to beat me.
“I also remember getting a special number for being seeded so high, and that surprised me, too. “I just thought, ‘OK, Chris, you’re going to get a prime spot to start.’ Coach Doyle just told me to get into the woods, which was about a mile into the race, in the top 10, and I did.”
Magill claimed he remained in that slot, though believes he was ninth when the leaders came out of the woods for the approximate half-mile distance to the finish line.
“I knew a kid from New Jersey, Bryan Spoonire, was ahead of me; he was a fantastic distance runner, but I was able to pass him,” he recalled. “When I did, I remember getting such an adrenaline rush, it was unbelievable,I saw Mr. Doyle, my parents, my teammates, cheering, and I was running down this path with about 150 meters to go.
“That’s when I passed another awesome kid, Brian Clas (of Endicott, N.Y.), and I ended up seventh overall. I couldn’t believe it! I was going to nationals. That had always been my dream, and I made it!”
Magill had closed in a 3.1-mile time of 16:11.9, nearly 40 seconds faster than he had the previous November at the same site and only 4.2 slower than the sixth-place finisher.
“I remember being called in by officials to complete some paperwork so I could attend nationals, and I was thinking, ‘Only 32 individuals across the country to qualify, and I was one of them; it was just incredible.’
“I know I was only the third Rhode Islander up to that point to qualify for the national cross country meet, though numerous others have done it since, and it was such a thrill. I also had beaten Wayne, which was satisfying, but I wish both of us had made it.”
When asked how he fared in San Diego, Magill burst out laughing, noting, “That’s not as good a story as regionals. I finished 31st out of 32. I got there, and I can readily say that opened up a lot of doors for me. More colleges became interested in me, and I ended up receiving a full ride to Old Dominion University (in Norfolk, Va.).”
Because the coach had informed him as a sophomore the ODU squad would disband after his junior year, he chose to transfer to Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y. and excelled for the nationally-ranked Gaels. He also received both his Bachelor’s in business management and Masters in finance.
Unlike his cross country thrill, he never saw the one he labeled his finest on the track coming.
It also occurred in 1989, but about eight months before, in April.
That’s when the Saints’ relay quartet of Magill, then a junior, the renowned Butler brothers and fellow senior Joe Kavanaugh qualified for the prestigious Penn Relays – in particular, the Interscholastic Championship of America Distance Medley Relay – annually held at the University of Pensylvania’s Franklin Field.
It’s not so much that the SRA contingent actually won the race, besting 14 of the best DMRs in the United States and Jamaica with an astonishing 10:12.54 clocking, but how it did it that still stuns him.
“Neal Butler led off running the 1,200, and he gave us a small lead, and then Joe took off for the 400 but lost some ground,” Magill remembered. “I ran the 800 after Joe, and I wasn’t much of an 800-meter runner, but Coach Doyle put his two best distance runners, Neal and Andrew, in the 1,200 and 1,600.
“I lost some ground, too, which wasn’t that surprising, and I gave Andrew the baton (for the 1,600); we were about sixth, I believe, when I handed it over,” he continued. “I think we were about eight, nine seconds behind leaders.
“The three of us are standing their watching, and we were surprised that the leaders were running in a pack. We also noticed that Andrew was making up ground fast, and we were going nuts when he started picking off guys.
“On the final lap, he gained more ground and caught the leader from Jamaica with about 200 meters left; that kid just looked at Andrew in disbelief, and he started sprinting. I was thinking, ‘How does he have anything left?’ The Jamaican kid pulled in front again, but Andrew decided he was going to kick himself, and he passed him to win it. Andrew split a 4:10, which was about his best ever.
“There were about 30,000 fans in the stadium, and they were on their feet going berserk; then again, so were we. We had won it by about a second, meaning we were national champions. The officials actually shut down the track, which they don’t usually do for high school kids, and let us run a victory lap. I remember people hanging down from the stands, giving us high-fives.
“I can still see the whole scene; it was surreal. What I had done in the 800, that was merely average, but what Andrew did? That was absolutely electric. He lit up that stadium.”
He paused, then admitted, “You know, I think about both of those a lot. You know, I guess it’s crazy, but I think about how running helped pay for six years of a college education. I feel so fortunate to have run so well on that day (in The Bronx), and in my career, and how honored I am to say I competed for St. Raphael and Jimmy Doyle.
“He’s the best in the state of Rhode Island, to this day,” he added. “Like I said, he was ahead of his time, and I really thank him for all he gave me. The same goes for my teammates, who were outstanding. I’m a lucky guy.”