Merrimack Valley Championship Results
By: Vikram Daesety
It was a cool, crisp autumn day as the 11 MVC Teams gathered at Livingston Park in Tewksbury MA for what was sure to be a very exciting day of running. On the boys' side, it was without question that the Lowell Boys would absolutely dominate. However, the question remained, By How Much? As the gun of the varsity boys' race went off, the Lowell boys quickly asserted their dominance, with their entire top 7 squad leading the race. In close pursuit was Jacob Gaudette of Dracut, Brian Wilson of Chelmsford, the sophomore duo of Evan Fagan and Cameron Leonard from Central Catholic, and the trio of Vikram Daesety, Robert Pineault, and Andy Chaves from Andover.
However this pursuit of Lowell only lasted for the first mile of the race, as Lowell's pack remained dominant. Yet, Jacob Gaudette managed to hold on, and mixed himself into the group. At this point it was clear that it was not a race for first place as a team, it was a race for second. Andover, Chelmsford, Tewksbury, and Dracut, all had very successful dual meet seasons, all winning or losing to each other by just a few points. Leading the Chelmsford pack was Brian Wilson, along with his teammate, Kyle Hansen. Tewksbury's Mario Fuchu also made quite a statement, running most of the race with the duo from Central Catholic, giving himself a position of about 10th place. Andover's trio of Robert Pineault, Vikram Daesety, and Andy Chaves ran most of their race with the two Methuen boys of Fernando Damota, and Jacob St.Onge.
As the race neared to a finish, the Lowell pack spread out, but still maintained the lead. With 400 meters to the finish, Jacob Gaudette of Dracut made a bold move, which was to steal the lead from Lowell's junior duo of Anthony Rodriguez and Chris Polanco. However, Lowell's experience in these types of situations proved superior as Anthony Rodriguez won the race with a 16:05, with Chris Polanco following close behind with a 16:09. Jacob Gaudette settled for 3rd with a 16:11. Tommy Abraham, Lowell, (16:19), Chris Gendron, Lowell, (16:20), Evan Fagan, Central Catholic, (16:35), and Sean Bryan, Lowell, (16:39), followed. Lowell won the MVC Title with a stellar 19 points. Chelmsford was runner-up, followed by Tewksbury, and Andover.
The girls' race on the other hand, was much more close and dramatic. Lilly Voke of North Andover, Abby Fisher of Billerica, and Kaley Richards of Lowell, have all run similar times in the past, and Lilly Voke has never lost a race in any of the dual meets. Given all these rivalries, a fast start was predictable. During the first 100 meters, Isabella Silveira of Andover took the lead, with Kaley Richards, Lilly Voke, and Abby Fisher, hot on her heels.
Voke, Richards, and Fisher quickly took the race over, with Fisher and Voke leading the race after the first lap.
Not too far behind the Big 3 was Kaley's sister Alexandra Richards, as well as Sophia Haywood of Chelmsford, Rachel Flores of Dracut, and the duo from Haverhill, Jenna Solimine and Jillian Lemieux. As the race came to a finish, Voke pulled away and ran an amazing time of 18:45. Fisher followed at a 19:00, and Kaley Richards finished at a 19:04. Sophia Haywood, Chelmsford, (19:11), Rachel Flores, Dracut, (19:27), Alexandra Richards, Lowell, (19:33), Jenna Solimine, Haverhill, (19:41), and Jillian Lemieux, Haverhill, (19:42), followed. The Lowell Girls pulled off the win with 59 points, with Billerica as the runner-ups with 61 points. The Tewksbury Girls were third with 73 points.
Anthony Rodriguez Race Interview