Keklak Rises To the Top !

           

 

WRENTHAM - Ariel Keklak hasn't asked her older sister, two-time all-state champion Andrea, for many tips on how to traverse the hills and trails this season. The Lincoln-Sudbury junior may want some pointers for next week at the all-state meet after outdueling a strong pack to capture the Div. 2 race at yesterday's EMass Cross Country Championships on the grounds of the Wrentham Developmental Center.

"We definitely keep up on what the other is doing, but we don't talk too much about racing," said Keklak of her sister, who runs at Georgetown University. "She'll tell me to listen to what my coach says and try to sit on whoever is leading."

Keklak was in control from the gun. She looked the most comfortable in a tight pack that included North Quincy's Emily Bryson and Needham harriers Margie Cullen and Sarah Armstrong, before making a move shortly after 2 miles and pull away to a 17-minute, 48.4-second victory over the 3.1-mile layout. Keklak's time was the fastest of the day and she was the lone runner to break the 18-minute barrier in perfect early November conditions.

Bryson, the Patriot League champion, continued her torrid running, locking herself in the pack and changing gears when Keklak decided to throw in a hard move after 2 miles. Keklak pulled away, but Bryson never faltered as she took second in 18:02.3, in front of Cullen's 18:05.6 and the 18:29.7 clocked by Armstrong."

Keklak's win, coupled with her victory at the Twilight Invitational, makes her the early favorite to capture the Div. 1 All-State race next Saturday at Franklin Park.

"It was really comfortable until about 2 miles and then we started to push it a little more because there was just three of us at that point," said Keklak. "I felt great then the cold started to get to me and I tightened up a little. I made a move on the hill because hills are something I'm good at and I was feeling really good. I tried to push it up the hill and I guess I lost her there."

Keklak wasn't surprised Bryson and the two Needham runners were with her for the first 2 miles. "We all ran together at the Twilight meet so I was pretty sure there'd be the same pack here," said Keklak.

She knows the competition is only going to get tougher at Franklin Park. "There's going to be a lot of good teams like Bishop Feehan and Weymouth," said Keklak. "I'm really hoping to get a good solid race in like today. Hopefully our team will be in the running to win it."

Needham should be very tough in the state meet after putting up just 43 points to defeat Lincoln-Sudbury's 85 points and 117 from Billerica.

The white bow Olivia Lantz of Manchester Essex was wearing made her easy to see in the Div. 6 race, that and the fact that she was well out in front on the way to defending the title she won a year ago. The defending Div. 2 All-State champion was never challenged as she shook Ipswich's Emily DeMarco near the halfway point and cruised to victory in 18:05.9. DeMarco was a distant second in 18:43.5 and Lantz's teammate, Eve Feuerbach, was third in 18:57.1.

"I was hoping to break 18 (minutes) and I was a little short of that," said Lantz, who will attend Dartmouth College. "I was a little sick with a cold and took a lot of Dayquil to prepare for this. I'm feeling pretty good. This is a great course to get a fast time on. It was really great to have Emily (DeMarco) there for the first mile and a half to help push the pace. I kept the pace up (after going through the mile in 5:40). I know there's going to be a lot of competition next week and I'm hoping to use the competitive vibe to get another good time."

Lowell's Kaley Richards has had a target on her back all season after winning the Div. 1 All-State race a year ago and she looked strong in defending her Div. 1 EMass title with an enormously satisfying and emotional win over Newton South's Rebecca Grusby, who defeated her at the Bay State Invitational. Richards crossed the finish line in 18:22.1 in front of Grusby's 18:29.0. Richards' cousin, Alexandra, was third overall in 18:52.3. Lexington had its first five runners in the top 25 to take the team title (69 points) in front of Weymouth (101) and Newton North (154 points). Kacie and Kelly Higgins finished fourth and fifth in 18:53.7 and 18:57.3, respectively.

Richards admitted she had pre-race jitters and predicted it was Grusby who would present the biggest challenge in the field. "I think she's an incredible runner," said Richards. "Last season we were always neck and neck in track. This cross country season she's had me in a couple of races. I knew it was going to be the two of us."

Richards was in no hurry to take over the pace against the tough Newton South runner. "My coach didn't want me to go out and lead because it was just so windy," Richards said. "If I led, I don't think the finish would be the same. I realized with a half mile to go that if I didn't win I'd be really upset. I practiced my mental strength in the race because I think I've lacking in that a little bit. I just told myself that I could do it."

Bedford's Erin Dietz continued her masterful running at Wrentham, collecting her third consecutive Div. 5 win in 18:25.7 while Emily Weigand's sixth-place finish in 19:07.9 led Hamilton-Wenham to the title with 49 points.

Dietz was able to cruise in, 12 seconds ahead of teammate Nicole Maclellan, who was second in 18:38.2. Sarah Edwards of Bellingham was third in 18:46.9.

"It was exciting," said a smiling Dietz. "Our main goal was to qualify for all-states as a team because we've never done that. There were five or six of us at the mile. I was comfortable. It's a great day to run. I started to pick it up at the 2-mile mark a little bit. I didn't want to kill myself, but I wanted to race well."

Steve Sawyer's Hamilton-Wenham crew continued its superb big meet performances by capturing the team title with 49 points, well ahead of runner-up Old Rochester (102 points) and third-place Bedford (127 points).

Bob L'Homme's Bishop Feehan squad captured its 10th consecutive team title with 59 points, led by Abigail Long's third-place finish in 18:37.2.

Whitman-Hanson's Samantha Coletti captured the individual title in 18:18.7 in front of Elizabeth Costantino of Notre Dame (H), who was 10 seconds back in 18:28.6.

Nauset had a big day in Div. 4 as Coralea Geraniotis won outright in 18:53.6 and the team copped first with 103 points. Milton's Bridget Mitchell took second in 19:04.3 and Sarah Tully of Wayland clocked a 19:09.5.

Geraniotis couldn't have been happier as the best possible scenario played itself out. "I really wanted to win and help my team," she said. "This is the first Nauset team to ever do that (win a division title) and I was going to do anything to help us reach our goal. I knew I had to win. I felt good when I took the lead. I wanted to make a quick break away and build a gap."