In a unique format that takes place on the interior of a horse racing track, the Massachusetts contingent of athletes struggled in the mud Saturday at the Nike Cross Nationals in Portland. Many consider this group of NXN athletes to be best in race history although the course conditions resulted in abnormally slow times considering the quality of the competitors. Steve Sollowin (17:15.6) of Weymouth High School qualified as an individual by finishing 4th last weekend at the NXN Northeast Championships and was the top Massachusetts finisher in 59th place.
The Pembroke boys improved one spot on their Harrier XC Super 25 ranking by finishing 19th overall in a team time of 89:57. A team that usually dominates the front of races in New England was forced to the middle of the pack where they spent the next 5,000 meters dealing with poor footing and crowded spaces. The end results was a larger than normal 1-5 gap and an unfamiliar style of racing.
Cross country is one of the few high school sports that actually competes in a national championship at the end of the year. A top 100 finish as an individual or a top 20 finish as a team is a tremendous accomplishment considering the massive number of athletes that participate in the sport annually. Sollowin and the Pembroke boys represented the state admirably.
Mass Athletes
59 #332 Steven Sollowin 11 Northeast-4 5:33.4 17:15.6
69 #323 Wesley Gallagher 12 Pembroke XC Club 5:35.3 17:21.6
88 #322 Ryan Kelley 11 Pembroke XC Club 5:41.4 17:40.6
119 #324 Brendan Adams 11 Pembroke XC Club 5:46.5 17:56.3
164 #327 John Valeri 14 Pembroke XC Club 5:56.3 18:26.9
171 #326 Ryan Moran 11 Pembroke XC Club 5:58.0 18:32.3
181 #325 Joe Vercollone 12 Pembroke XC Club 6:03.2 18:48.3
183 #328 Jesse Fine 12 Pembroke XC Club 6:06.4 18:58.2
19 Pembroke XC Club 399 32 48 74 119 126 136 138
Total Time: 1:29:57.70
Average: 17:59.54
Photo Album by Ryan Kelly
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