It was a picture perfect day for racing in Providence on Saturday and we would be fortunate enough to witness a handful of Massachusetts teams taking full advantage of the ideal weather on a fast course.
The highlight of the day for our MA cohort at the Brown Northeast Invite would be Cameron Correia and the rest of his Holyoke squad in the Varsity D2 race. The Purple Knights had traveled to Barnstable this weekend for the past two years but their change in schedule seemed to be well worth the switch after the results were tallied at Goddard Park. Despite not toeing the line in the Boys Championship Race, Correia of Holyoke was not going to be denied a top spot and a fast time. Having to do most of the work at the front of field, Correia would prove to be the only one capable of handling the pace and he would take his first career win in a time of 15:37. Cameron's time would not only earn him a victory, but also make him the 8th fastest finisher on the day. Fellow Holyoke runner, Izalen Lugo would also dip under 16:00 and take 5th with his 15:50 performance. Keeping with the trend and also having himself a career day was fellow Western MA runner, Jack Yanko of Amherst. We saw a fine season opener by Yanko at his home invitational in September, but his 15:47 3rd place performance on Saturday is certainly evidence of the sophomore taking his running to the next level.
Words from Our Winner
" Well I have been really excited to race since my last race was the Amherst invitational and I was supposed to run at the Frank Kelly invitational but it got cancelled and due to church I couldn't go...When I got on that starting line I knew that 2nd, 3rd, or 4th wasn't good enough. It was pretty intimidating with 177 people in the race but I knew what I was capable of. The whole race I was bouncing back and forth with a kid from St. jhon the Baptist and Jack Yanko but when we got to that 2 mile it came down to 2 people. I just suck with him on his shoulder and hung on because I know I have and great kick but once there was as about 400m left I got the inside corner on him and took the lead all the way to the finish." - Cameron Correia of Holyoke HS
Due to the competitive 1-2 punch by Correia and Lugo, the Holyoke boys would finish a respectable 3rd place overall with 165 points and not too far out of second. Yanko of Amherst would lead the 'Canes to a 7th place team finish.
After testing herself in the Varsity D1 race in 2015, Sophia Jacobs-Townsley of Amherst returned to Brown this year ready for a new challenge and lied up with the best in the Girls Championship Race. Annually attracting top New England and Mid-Atlantic competition, Saturday's race would feature: a Manhattan Invite Champion, the runner-up in the New England Champs Outdoor 3200m, a NXN and FootLocker All-American, and a slew of other young ladies with impressive racing resumes.
Despite the crowded and competitive affair in the lead pack, Jacobs-Townsley was not going to be denied an excellent opportunity to test herself among the regions best. Despite the race winner dipping under 17:00 and setting a very impressive course record of 16:45, Sophia held her own and came home 7th overall in a time of 18:10. Which was a slight improvement on her performance last fall and will set her up nicely as the championship season draws near.
CATHOLIC MEMORIAL INVITE RECAP -->