OCL Championships: Dartmouth Boys, B-R Girls Defend Titles


Old Colony League Championships

Wednesday October 26. 2016

Barnstable, Dartmouth and Bridgewater faced off at Barnstable for the 2016 Old Colony League Cross Country Championship. There were close races and fierce one on one battles in both the Girls and Boys races.

In the Girls Varsity race it was Tatiana Dunne that led the way for Barnstable setting a new course record in 19:49.  Maddie Lynch of Dartmouth closed the gap but was unable to reel in the Barnstable harrier finishing in second in 19:50. The deep Bridgewater Raynham girls team then took 3rd and 4th as seniors Emily Debruin and Emma Frazier ran 20:27 and 20:36.

Kylie Willis of Barnstable closed out the top five with a solid time of 20:40. However it was the perennial girls powerhouse team of Bridgewater Raynham that took the  Girls Varsity race over Barnstable in a score of 32 to 33 points.  The BR Girls squad placed all 5 scorers  in the top ten.

In the Boys race last year's OCl Champ Red Raiders of Barnstable had a lot to prove after dropping both dual meets to their OCL counterparts.

The 3.1 mile course winds it's way along the athletic fields of Barnstable High which allows runners to run three or four abreast. There are only two narrow "pinch points" that  allow a single one runner access to the path.  

It was a very close race right from the gun.  The front pack of Greg Martin (D), Advika Rajapakse (D), Zach Lajeunnesse (D) Gio Balsmo (BR) Cam Donoghue, (BHS) Cam Faszewski (BHS) and Dan Losielle (BHS) passed the mile mark in 5:28 separated by mere seconds.

At approximately the 1.5 mile mark Dartmouth's duo of Martin and Rajapakse pushed the pace with Balsmo of Bridgewater just off of their shoulders. Barnstable's top runner Cam Faszewski  trailed in fourth separated by a few yards from the leaders.

Upon hitting the final loop with 400Meters to go it became a footrace with the top runner from each team pressing for an advantage. Balsmo, Martin and Faszewski bore down on the finish line changing positions as they approached the tape.  In a truly photo finish it was determined that Martin of Dartmouth took the win in 17:12, Balsmo 17:13, and Faszewski 17:14.

In another close meet the team honors were claimed by the Dartmouth team with a score of 33 to Barnstable's 36 and Bridgewater's 56.

Girls Varsity Results-

1) Tatiana Dunne (BHS)19:49

2) Maddie Lynch (DHS)19:50

3)Emily DeBruin (BR) 20:27

4)Emma Frazier (BR) 20:36

5) Kylie Willis (BHS) 20:40

6) Emily Newcomb (BR) 20:47

7) Abby Doherty (BHS) 20:49

8) Danielle Curtin (BHS) 20:50

9) Shannon Lynch (BR) 20:52

10) Jillian Doherty (BR) 21:11

Girls Team scores

1)BR  32

2)BHS 33

3) DHS 68

 

Boys Varsity

1)Greg Martin (DHS) 17:12

2) Gio Balsmo (BR) 17:13

3) Cameron Faszewski (BHS) 17:14

4) Adivka Rajapakse (DHS) 17:27

5) Cam Donoghue (BHS) 17:30

6) Dawson Polochick (DHS) 17:31

7) Dan Loiselle (BHS) 17:32

8) Jason Fusco (BR) 17:41

9) Seth Chaves (DHS) 17:45

10) Charles Nystrom (BHS) 17:48


Boys Team scores


1) Dartmouth 33

2) Barnstable 36

3) Bridgewater Raynham 56