As runners across New England woke up on Saturday morning, they were greeted by a dreary and cold rain. They soon packed rain gear and boarded their respective team buses to Franklin Park, in hopes of proving their grit and tenacity on the renowned New England course. Open New Englands is a meet that plays host to teams of all divisions and each year we’re treated to competitive and exciting races. This past Saturday was no different and with the addition of the terrible weather, things only got more interesting in Roxbury.
It was a slow cold drizzle all morning and as the ladies in the Women’s Varsity Race did their final stride outs, the rain began to pick up in anticipation of the action to come. From the gun, Elinor Purrier (Richford HS, VT) of UNH took charge of the race and bode her time well at the front of the pack until Bear Cage Hill. Once up the formidable hill, Purrier began to gap the field and establish herself as the eventual race winner. Despite the unfavorable conditions, Purrier would go on to win the race in a respectable 17:27. Purrier hails from the rural farmlands of northern Vermont, and perhaps it was her toughness in less than ideal weather that guided her to victory. Finishing close by in the top ten were Purrier’s fellow teammates, Anne Twombly (Exeter HS, NH) in 6th with a time of 17:46 and Samantha Blais (Wilton-Lyndeborough HS, NH) who ran 17:57 for 9th. Due to their solid front runners and 45-second spread between 1-5, UNH was able to take the team title with 61 points. Despite finishing a distant 2nd and 3rd in the team race, DIII powerhouses Middlebury and MIT squared off in another exciting matchup. Coming into Saturday, MIT was ranked #2 in the country and had beaten #4 Middlebury handedly two weeks prior. Though in the mud and rain, Alison Maxwell of Middlebury finished 11th in 18:00 to lead her Panthers to a second place team finish and nine points over MIT. Rounding out the top five in the women’s team race were Sacred Heart in 4thwith 217 points and Providence in 5th with 239 points.
Among other top individual performers in the women’s race on Saturday was Alexa Pelletier (Winnacunnet HS, NH) of URI. Pelletier, competing in her first collegiate cross country season, lead the URI Rams with her 17:42 and 4th-place performance. Also finishing in the top 10 was Northeastern freshman Jordan O’Dea (Dennis-Yarmouth HS, MA) who ran 17:49 for 7th place overall. Finishing as one of top DIII competitors,Audrey Gould (Amherst HS, MA) of Tufts crossed the line in 18:03 for 15th place.
After two races of 250+ runners and a relentless rainfall, Franklin Park was beginning to turn into a slick and muddy mess. Though that did little to deter the men from laying down a fast pace from the gun. To many, it was no big surprise to see American International College junior Mike Biwott all alone in the early stages of the race. Biwott has won this race the past two years and Saturday was going to be a repeat performance. As the race came off Bear Cage Hill for the first time, Biwott already had a ten-second lead on the field. In fact, his lead only increased and he went on to win the race in a time of 24:10, 24 seconds over Julian Oakley of Providence. Rounding out the top three overall was Brown senior Jordan Mann, who crossed the line in 24:39. The close finish between Oakley and Mann was a preview of the eventual team score battle. Once all had crossed the line and the scores were tallied, it appeared that Brown and Providence tied for 1st place with 72 points. Finishing a distant 3rd was UNH with 178 points, led by the efforts of John Prizzi, who ran 24:41 for 4th place. A little further down the team scores was the same DIII battle we saw in the women’s race, with Middleburyand MIT squaring off for top DIII honors. Due to the 7th and 15th place finishes of Middlebury seniors Wilder Schaaf and Kevin Wood, the Panthers finished 8th with 291 points, putting them just ahead of MIT, who finished 9th with 298 points. Up front, the men of Dartmouth placed fourth as team with 160 points and right behind them was BUin 5th with 182 points. On Saturday, Kevin Thomas (Marshfield HS, MA) was the top Terrier, crossing the line in 24:49 for 10th place overall.
Noteworthy individual performances on Saturday also included Zachary Fraielli (LaSalle Academy, RI) of Northeastern, who ran 24:43 for 5th place. Anthony Fierimonte (Alqonquin Regional, MA) of Assumption threw down a very respectful performance, crossing the line in 24:47 for 8th place. Finishing 3rd for the Friars and 16thoverall, Stephen Robertson (Wakefield HS, MA) clocked in at 24:57. Rounding out the top five for Brown, freshman Matt Mahoney (Swampscott HS, MA) ran 25:07 for 29thplace overall.
Miscellaneous:
On the other side of the state, a multitude of teams toed the line at Westfield’s James Earley Invitational. The overall winner of the men’s race was Cole Townsend of Williams who crossed the line in 25:49. Despite Townsend’s first place finish, the Ephs of Williams would be trumped by Westfield State. Leading the Owls was Derik Noland (Silver Lake HS, MA) who finished 6th overall and clocked in at 26:14. Finishing right behind Noland were a slew of Owls. Mike Skelly (North Middlesex HS, MA) finished 10th in 26:29, Chris Williams (Shrewsbury HS, MA) finished two seconds behind Skelly in 11th place, and rounding the Owl’s top five were Zach Gross (Monument Mountain HS, MA) in 15th and Steven Connolly (Weymouth HS, MA) in 17th place.
In the women’s race at Westfield State, the Lady Ephs of Williams reigned supreme. Crossing the line first in 18:14 was Emily Sundquist of Williams. Right behind her was fellow Eph, Talia Calnek-Sugin in 18:20. Jess Cardin (Sutton Memorial HS, MA) crossed the line in 3rd with a time of 18:25. Cardin led the Westfield Owls to a fifth place finish overall.
Upcoming Collegiate Schedule:
- This Friday Boston College (Women), Dartmouth, Harvard, and Providence will all be competing at the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational.
- On Saturday, UMass Lowell (Men), UCONN (Women), and Yale will be toeing the line at the Pre National Meet in Terre Haute, Indiana.
- The famous Little Three Championship (Amherst, Wesleyan, Williams) will occurring this Saturday at Williams.
- Connecticut College will host numerous DIII teams for their home invitational at Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford, CT.