Carmel Fitzgibbon made the biggest noise at the Big Wave Invitational on Saturday.
The home-schooled eighth-grader from Weston captured the Freshmen-Sophomore race in convincing fashion. Leading from the start of the 2.5-mile race, Fitzgibbon crossed the line, unofficially, with a winning time of 15 minutes, 40 seconds. That time is slightly over 6:10 pace for the gifted middle-schooler.
"I just wanted to go in and have a good race and a good workout," she said. "I definitely feel I accomplished that so I am really proud."
There is no doubt that Fitzgibbons, who competed unattached on Saturday, has a bright future ahead of her. Two years ago, she was the 9-10 Junior Olympics' National champion for the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:56.37. This past summer, she was third at the nationals in the 11-12 800m with an impressive 2:18.37 clocking. It will be interesting to see how she progressed this fall (and beyond).