The Northfield Mountain course in Western Massachusetts has always been an intimidating track and its now legendary lore has athletes itching to get a personal feel of the hellacious incline.The bring-the-runners-to-their-knees nature of the mountain has also caused coaches to pause and reflect on its ruthlessness. Plymouth North coach John Laverty once said the opening incline reaches into the heavens and athletes could touch God at the top. Long-time Notre Dame of Hingham coach Rick Kates doesn’t see the layout quite as majestic, deeming it Satan’s Playground. How it’s viewed, and by who, really doesn’t matter in the big picture of a cross country season. What’s important is that the mountain is the site of this year’s state championships and Saturday’s Bay State Invitational was a prime opportunity for harriers to get an up-close-and-personal view of the challenging layout.
Racing the course for the first time, Bedford sophomore Erin Dietz opted on the side of caution in the early stages of the Div. 2 race.In gorgeous Indian summer conditions, Dietz added herself to the cluster of stellar female runners in the division, pulling away on the downhill for a 19:20.9 victory over the 3.1 miles. Abbey McNulty took second in 19:33.5, leading Bishop Feehan to the team title with 77 points ahead of Ursuline (93) and Hamilton-Wenham (97).Dietz ran with the lead group for the first mile before moving hard into the lead. “I went out with the pack and picked it up,” said the first-year harrier. “I felt really good. I ran slow up the hill and was able to pick it up. I felt really good. I ran slow up the hill and the downhills were good to recover on.” Dietz has incorporated plenty of hills in her 9-12 mile long runs and it paid off big for her in the warm conditions. “I was hoping to be in the top five,” she said. “I felt like I could have gone out a little bit faster.”
The Div. 1 race was decided when Peabody’s Catarina Rocha showed up at the starting line. Arguably the best female Massachusetts cross country runner since the great Shalane Flanagan of Marblehead, Rocha ran unscathed.Like Dietz, also running the course for the first time, the defending state champion ran conservative early and steady the entire way, but was still alone in the lead at 800 meters and splintered the field in 18:49.4. Rocha’s stirring solo performance moved her to No. 6 all-time on the Northfield layout. Christine Davis of Acton-Boxboro was second, nearly 90 seconds back with a 20:11.6, and Colleen Sands of Wachusett was third in 20:23.6. Rocha’s teammates Lauren Barnett (fifth in 20:30.6) and Sam Allen (seventh in 20:48.8) also added top-10 finishes as the Tanners rolled to the team title. “It was pretty tough, I’m not going to lie,” Rocha said. “I wanted to go out at a comfortable pace up the hill so I’d have something for the end. The hill was fine. It was mostly all downhill after that. It is the biggest hill I’ve ever run.”
Jonathan Green of St. John’s of Shrewsbury shook a tough Nate Adams of Lexington and Wachusett’s Colin Bennie to take the Div. 1 boys race with a scalding 15:54.3. (Adams was a strong second in 16:15.7; Bennie was third in 16:19.5.) Green was one of five St. John’s runners in the top 30, as the Pioneers rolled to the team title (60 points) ahead of Lexington (126). Green is confident he’s on the right path to successfully defend his Div. 1 state title after running the second-fastest time ever on the daunting course. “Everybody’s gunning for everybody,” he said. “We’re still doing strength work. I plan on going to Foot Locker Regionals and hopefully I can qualify there. We have districts in three weeks and then it’s go, go, go. We have three weeks of just hammering it.”
Sophomore talent Nick Carleo of Newburyport showed he’s perfectly willing to sit and wait in the Div. 2 race, only taking the lead from Paul Hogan of Burlington with a mile to go en route to a victory in 16:20.4. Hogan was second in 16:23.3, and Norwell’s Owen Wiggins (16:47.5) nailed down third. Carleo found the knee-buckling course as tough as advertised. “It’s brutal,” said the extremely likeable sophomore. “You think the first hill is the worse and then the second mile is tough too. When I came out of the woods (nearing the finish line) I took off. I was pretty much sitting behind (Hogan) up and down the hills. I think I ran that pretty smart.” Carleo’s impressive victory didn’t translate to a team win, however. That was left to another ferocious Bishop Feehan squad. Led by Evan Grandfield (fourth in 16:56.7) and Mike Hanley (fifth in 16:59.1), the Shamrocks’ 68 points won out, ahead of Newburyport (88) and Hopedale (117).
Dracut freshman Rachael Flores kicked off the day with an inspiring win, dismantling the rookie field in 13:36.4 over the shorter 2-mile course. Flores sprinted across the finish line in 13:36.4 and barely slowed through the chute. He time put her well ahead of runner-up Hayley Gambone of Lexington (14:07.3) and Franklin’s Nicole Mucciarone (14:08.5). Jeanine Zheng of Hamilton-Wenham was fourth (14:12.5) and Emily McAulliffe of Groton-Dunstable took fifth (14:15.6). Flores’ poise suggests she’ll be a talent to keep an eye on in the coming years. “I was in the middle of everybody (at the start),” she said. “The hill was tough, but it gave me some energy. I pushed on the downhills to further my lead. I just wanted to do my best and I happened to come out on top.”
Unlike Flores in the girls’ race, Lexington freshman Zachary Manickas-Hill had his hands full with Shrewsbury’s Jackson Southard. Manickas-Hill used his strong finishing kick to put daylight between himself and Southard on the long straightaway to the line, winning in 11:13. Southard was just over three seconds back in 11:16.6. Grant Hauver of Wachusett nailed down third in 11:44.9 and Lexington’s Anthony Aguirre was fourth with an 11:57.4. Mandela Franciscono of Acton-Boxboro finished in fifth at 12:00.5. Manickas-Hill decided to attack the hill at the gun over the shorter course. “I tried to take it out at the start and decided to stay with (Southard) until I could kick at the end. It hurt, but I was confident in my kick.”