Camille Blackman won the Amherst Invitational on Saturday.For the first time in two years, a girl from Western Massachusetts has finished first in the prestigious Amherst Invitational cross country race.
Reigning Western Mass. Division I champion Camille Blackman of Longmeadow won the race at Hampshire College. She had a time of 18:31 – one of only two sub-19-minute times in the race.
The last area girl to win the event was Westfield’s Carolyn Stocker 2009. She went on to win the Western Mass. individual title.
Blackman was one of seven area girls to place among the top 20 in the race, which annually draws many top teams from the Commonwealth.
Madison Granger of Belchertown took third in 19:32. Manon Blackman, Camille’s younger sister, was ninth in 19:49.
Natalie Mako of Frontier was 11th in 19:54, followed by Audrey Gould of Amherst, who was 13th in 20:01, Staci Rezendes of Holyoke Catholic, who placed 17th in 20:14 and Frontier’s Amy Graham, who took 20th in 20:18.
Haverhill won the meet with 51 points. Amherst finished seventh (189 points) and Longmeadow was 10th (249 points).
Among the boys, six runners from the region placed among the top 20. Ludlow’s Dan Crowley was eighth in 16:22.
Blake Croteau of Westfield was 10th in 16:32, followed by Northampton’s Sam Coates-Finke, who took 14th in 16:45, Longmeadow’s Ben Gagne-Maynard, who placed 15th in 16:45, Ludlow’s Brian Crowley, who finished 16th in 16:46 and Westfield’s Jacob Bellows, who was 18th in 16:51.
The race was won by Chernet Sisay of Brookline in 15:41. Brookline took the team title with 70 points.
Amherst was second with 148 points. Northampton took ninth with 244 points, six better than 10th place Westfield and eight ahead of 11th place Ludlow.
TED DUTKIEWICZ MEMORIAL RACE: At Southwick, a pair of runners became the first from their respective schools to win the event.
Holyoke’s Cody Hodgins won for the boys in 15:40. West Springfield’s Sabrina Kalil won for the girls in 20:15.
Tim Shea of West Springfield was second for the third time this season in 15:59. He was followed by Agawam’s Mike Andre (16:16), Tyler Roberts (16:25), West Springfield’s Adam Bourdon (16:34), Holyoke’s Tyler Brunelle (16:36), Agawam’s Ben Parzich (16:37), Holyoke’s Eugene De La Rosa (16:40), Agawam’s Ricky Schoolcraft (16:43), Central’s Jacob Mueller (16:43).
Freshman Megan Dustin of Agawam was second in the girls race in 20:15. She was followed by teammate Ashley Monahan, Southwick’s Natalya Riberdy (21:01), West Springfield’s Emily Taylor (21:20), Chicopee’s Emma Bernard (21:31), St. Mary eighth grader Julie Carroll (21:54), Agawam teammates Amy Grindle (21:55), Gina Lopez (22:06) and East Longmeadow’s Giorgi Bengston (22:48).