By Jeff Barlett
Topsfield- For Danvers High School junior Catalina Dominick and the rest of the Danvers Falcons, Saturday’s Northeast Conference Championship Meet at Bradley Palmer State Park was, in a way, a tribute to the memory of a beloved teacher.
“We all wanted to dedicate our run to Ms. Ritzer,” Dominick explained after the race. Dominick impressed the crowd at Bradley Palmer by floating over the 5k race course, uncontested in the second half, with a final finishing time of 18:20. “I’m finally healthy after two years,” explained Dominick. “It’s kind of weird being healthy. I don’t know how fast I can run still. I’m still experimenting with pushing myself.”
Although unconfirmed at press time, Dominick’s performance on the NEC course looks to be the fifth fastest time ever on the course: only Catarina Rocha (Peabody) and Shalane Flanagan (Marblehead) have run faster.
After Dominick’s finish, all eyes were glued to an epic battle between the Peabody Tanners (last year’s All-State Champions) and the Beverly Panthers. The Marblehead Headers were also in the mix, with close finishing places leaving coaches saying the race was simply too close to count. When all was said and done the Tanners emerged with the team victory, edging out the Panthers with a score of 43-49 after putting all seven of their runners in the top 17 finishing spots. Marblehead finished a close third with a score of 51 points. All three teams look to be in great position for earning All-State berths in a few weeks.
The Tanners were able to use a familiar course and familiar opponents to their advantage. “It’s a course we’re used to running,” explained Peabody runner Antonia Paglucia, who finished ninth. “I don’t think it was taken out too fast; the pace was just right,” added teammate and 7th place finisher Lauren Barrett. “Everyone stayed together on the hill and after the mile everyone broke up.” By marking opponents and being told who to try to stick with before the race, explained Sydney May, the Tanners were able to have a specific focus going into the race.
Janaya Randall of Marblehead finished second in 18:53, and was followed closely by the Beverly duo of freshman Abby Walsh (19:00) and Nicole Demars (19:04).
On the boys’ side, there was an early battle between Swampscott senior Matt Mahoney and Peabody junior Drew Fossa. With a strong surge in the middle of the race, Mahoney distanced himself from the field, cruising to a 15:38 over the 5k course. Mahoney’s time is an unconfirmed meet record, bettering the times of Gloucester stars Josh Palazola and Tristan Colengelo from the early 2000s.
“Going in, I knew Drew was going to be right there with me, and the last few times we raced one on one he outkicked me,” explained Mahoney. “I wanted to make a surge earlier in the race, make some separation, and I put another hard surge in going into the woods and up the hill.”
In the team race, Peabody ran away with the team title after placing six runners in the top eleven places. Fossa led the way for the Tanners, whose focus remains solely on how well the team does. “The major goal of every race is to win as a team,” mentioned Fossa. “Our team especially, this year more than any other year, it’s all team oriented. It doesn’t matter how we do it.” Peabody placed six runners in the top eleven places to win with a score of 32 points. Marblehead (55 points) and Gloucester (100 points) rounded up the top three for team scoring.
Northeast Conference Meet Page
