Clipper Relays 2012

NEWBURYPORT — More than 1,200 cross-country runners from 32 Massachusetts and New Hampshire high schools converged on Maudslay State Park Saturday morning to help out the Newburyport cross-country team in the 13th annual Clipper Relays.“It’s interesting,” said Newburyport cross-country coach and Relays mastermind Don Hennigar, whose program benefits from the entrance fees, “because you don’t really knows how the other teams put their teams together. Some of them put their best three guys together. Some will split them up, but you still get a little bit of an idea of what is going on. You can see who has strong teams and who might not.”

3 x 2M cross country relay 1) Lowell HS in meet record time. 2) Lexington 3) Tewksbury 4) Newburyport (highest finish ever). Conditions: Mid 80s, very high humidity

The Season Kicked off this weekend with two early low key Cross-Country Invitationals. On the North Shore In Newburport, the Annual Clipper Relays started the season with a fun 3 x 2mile relay. Lowell High School,  one of the preseason favorites, walked away with the team title.  The Lowell High School team of Mike Kalenoski, Nick Mcardle, and Pat Coppinger set a meet record with a time of 30:02 for the six mile race. Although not all the coaches turned in the Split sheets, we believe Nate Adams from Lexington had one of the fastest times at 9:42. Nate won the first leg of the six mile race, he was followed by Norwell's Owen Wiggin's (9:44) , and Methuen's Mike O'Donnell (9:46).