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2013 New Englands Preview - 2013 XC - DyeStatPublished by
Competition stakes raised at New Englands (05-Nov) -- On Saturday at Derryfield Park in Manchester, N.H., the New England Interscholastic Cross Country Championships will be run, playing host to some of the best prep talent the region has to offer. Athletes from Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont will be competing; Massachusetts runners will not, as they are racing at their Divisional meets on Saturday. Broken down below are the top individuals from each state, as well as teams to look out for. GIRLS INDIVIDUAL PREVIEW Last year, Barrington (R.I.) freshman Emma McMillan surprised some with her third place showing at the New England Championships, leading her team to an overwhelming victory. This year, McMillan returns and hopes for much of the same. Coming off record-setting win at the Rhode Island state championships, McMillan enters the meet as a contender. (Edit note: Freshman Eliza Rego of La Salle, who beat McMillan two weeks ago and suffered a fall on Saturday and did not finish, is on the entry list). One athlete that could test her is Vermont's Autumn Eastman. Eastman has been on fire this year, winning nearly every race she has entered. A 14:23.1, second-place showing at the Manhattan Invitational in October put Eastman on the national radar. She has since won the state title and helped guide Champlain Valley Union to their fifth straight team crown. In 2012, Eastman was eighth at New Englands as a junior. No preview would be complete without praising Staples (Ct.) sophomore Hannah Debalsi. As a freshman, Debalsi set the national freshman record for two miles on the track, running 10:16.20 at New Balance Nationals. She hasn't stopped improving, winning the Connecticut state meet last week by 27 seconds ahead of Claire Howlett (Westhill) and Gabrielle Richichi (New Fairfield). DeBalsi finished one spot and two seconds out of the top ten last year, but at this point she has to be the favorite. In 2012, Sheridan Wilbur of La Salle Academy (RI) finished a place ahead of DeBalsi, rounding out the top 10. Look for her, Thomaston (CT) senior Sabrina Olsen, and Greely (ME) senior Kirstin Sandreuter to improve upon their top-15 finishes a year ago. Sandreuter timed 18:37.96 at the Maine Class B Championships on Saturday, and is the best athlete from the state. New Hampshire quartet Maegan Doody (Oyster River), Emma Newton (Hollis/Brookline), Elisabeth Danis (Coe-Brown), and Shannon Murdock (Exeter) could make some noise. From Rhode Island are sophomore Karina Tavares (La Salle Academy) and senior Maddy Berkson (Classical HS). GIRLS TEAM PREVIEW In 2012, the top four teams looked like this: Barrington (RI) 75, Coe-Brown (NH) 132, Champlain Valley Union (VT) 176, and La Salle Academy (RI) 185. This year, all four will likely be fighting once again for a podium finish. What will surely be exciting is a Barrington-La Salle Academy rematch after Sunday's Rhode Island State Championship. There, La Salle edged Barrington by three points, 36 to 39. Ranked 17th nationally in the Oct. 31 polls, La Salle Academy has a devastating combination of front and pack runners. Up front are sophomore Karina Tavares (second at the state meet) and junior Sheridan Wilbur (5th). What makes La Salle special is their three, four, and five runners -- Rachael Renzi, Audrey O'Neill, and Elise Papazian. At the state meet, all three finished together in the span of three seconds. Barrington will surely be out for revenge as they seek their second New England title in a row. Barrington is a team that has an X-factor unlike any other: Experience. Returning from last year's championship team are four of their top seven, including Emma McMillan and Abigail Livingston (15th). The pair will be joined by Julianna Portelli and Megan Verner-Crist, as well as senior Mary Kate Coogan. In 2012 Coe-Brown of New Hampshire finished runner-up, tallying 132 points. That team resturns its top six -- Elisabeth Danis, Brooke Laskowsky, Hannah Parker, Katie and Meg Scannell, and Jessie Carney. Each of the team's top five scorers placed in the top ten at the New Hampshire Meet of Champions, where they won by 79 points. As mentioned above, Champlain Valley Union is led by Eastman, one of the dominant runners in Vermont state history. CVU is riding a high after earning their fifth straight state meet title and tenth in the last eleven years. Eastman is joined by Sophie Gorman, Emma Putre, Carly Neeld, and Hayley Harder, each of whom finish in the top 15 at States. Their spread from one to five was 2:14, a number that may have to come down if they want the top spot. BOYS INDIVIDUAL PREVIEW The Boys race looks to be a dandy, with four top-15 finishers from a year ago looking to battle it out for the title. The top returner is Telstar (Maine) senior Josef Holt-Andrews, who is coming off a State Class C championship where he won by nearly 15 seconds. In 2012, Holt-Andrews placed fifth in 16:28.47. Also from Maine are Dan Curts (Ellsworth), Liam Simpson (Cape Elizabeth) and Brayden Beardsley (Ellsworth). Connecticut is led by last year's ninth and 11th place finishers in Christian Alvarado (Fairfield Prep) and Trevor Hopper (Ridgefield). Less than two seconds separated the pair here a year ago, and they were even closer at Wickham Park last Friday: both timed 15:31 to go one-two at the Open State Meet. Hopper may have the edge here, as he will be joined by six of his teammates on the line (see below). Each of the top three from last weekend's New Hampshire State Meet of Champions will rematch once again. Coe-Brown's Jeremy Brassard and Mascenic Regional's Tim Fafard battled to the line at that meet, timing 15:50.0 to 15:50.4. Look for much of the same here, with Cameron Daly (Inter-Lakes) also making some noise. Bishop Hendricken senior Colin Tierney leads the boys of Rhode Island. Everything seems to be going right for Tierney at the moment, as he earned the individual and team crowns with his 15:49.01 win at the state meet last week. Aside from the rest of the Bishop Hendricken team (detailed below), junior Jake Grundy of La Salle should be in the mix for a top ten finish. Vermont's Sidi Abdoulaye (South Burlington) and Sam Nishi (Harwood Union) timed under 16:35 on a tough Thetford Academy State Meet course two weeks ago. Consider them dark horses. BOYS TEAM PREVIEW Bishop Hendricken (RI) and Ridgefield (CT) look to be evenly matched heading into this weekend's race. Both took home state championships last weekend, and have competed with consistency most of the year. The slight edge goes in Bishop Hendricken's favor, though. Ranked 39th nationally, the team is trying to retain their title from a year ago, where they scored 85 points -- 42 more than runner-up La Salle Academy (RI). Experience could be key for Bishop Henricken, as front runner Colin Tierney and junior Michael Potter ran at New Englands in 2012. Tom Grizzetti, Collin Manning, and Dominic Parlato round out their top five. Ridgefield is ranked a spot behind Bishop Hendricken in DyeStat's Oct. 31 national polls, and totaled 58 points at their state championship over the weekend. Behind leader Trevor Hopper, Ridgefield placed four in the top 10, with their second through fourth runners making up a solid pack; Austin Gilbert, Will Bordash, and Gabe Altopp crossed the line within two seconds of one another. If that group finishes close once again, it could dethrone Bishop Hendricken. Not to be forgotten is last year's runner-up in La Salle Academy. They gave Bishop Hendricken a run for their money at the Rhode Island State Championships, scoring 41 points to Bishop Hendricken's 37. La Salle Academy has youth on their side, led by sophomore Jack Salisbury and freshman David Principe Jr. Darien (CT) finished 51 points and one spot behind Ridgefield at the State Meet, though could rebound for a good performance here.
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