For most of the last several years, perhaps decades, it’s been pretty cut and drive who was going to win individual title once the State Meet rolled around. Not this year. Not at all. When the gun is fired to start the girls’ competition, this is one of those take-your-pick type races where you really don’t know who will be the first to cross the line. We have at least three that we’d list as top contenders to earn gold on Saturday. There’s also a few more that we believe has a chance to make it interesting coming down the stretch.
Here we list what we consider the top 10 runners to watch this weekend on Ponaganset’s Covered-Bridge Trail.
***
Rory Sullivan, Saint Raphael Academy
The Saints’ senior, a three-time first-team all-stater, gets the favorite nod here. But only slightly. She posted the fastest time in all three races this past weekend by winning the Class C meet with a near meet record of 18 minutes, 30.47. Sullivan knows how to perform in meets like the states. She was fifth as a freshmen, third as a tenth-grader and last year was a runner-up to Moses Brown’s Sophia Gorriaran. No doubt, Sullivan will have some tough competition at Saturday’s meet, but she had the ability to not let that affect her mindset and will focus on the task on hand. The SRA standout won the class meet in a solo effort, finishing more than a minute ahead of Narragansett’s Madeline O’Neill, a seventh-place finisher at this meet last year and among our elite this fall. Sullivan looked very strong in her victory and admitted she had plenty left in the tank. With the level of talent on the line and the importance of the meet, it might take a low 18-minute effort to win this weekend, perhaps even faster. If she is pushed, we believe Sullivan is capable of doing that.
Erin vonHousen, Chariho
The Charger senior is another runner we feel has a chance to break the tape at the end. She was our pick at the beginning of the season to win this meet and we still feel she still has a good shot at accomplishing that feat this weekend. She won the Class B title this past Saturday with a time of 18:55.56, more than 40 seconds ahead of Mount Hope’s Jessica Deal. She’ll be ready to contend with the lead pack. VonHousen has proven to us she had what it takes to win this weekend, both physically and mentally. The Charger standout was our 3K winner at the outdoor states this past spring. She was able to do that despite a long recovery from last year’s X-country championships where she was one of our top contenders but struggled to 28th overall after collapsing on the course several times due to dehydration.
Keaney Bayha, Pilgrim
We’ve said it several times over the last few weeks. Among all our top runners, there has been no one hotter than Bayha. The Pilgrim junior appears to be peaking at the just the right time. She won the Class A crown with a fast 18:43.85 clocking, her fourth straight sub-19 effort, a streak that included an all-time best of 18:03.40 from the Great American X-C Festival. After her race on Saturday, she told us that health issues, such as low iron, have affected her consistency over the last few years leading up to this fall. That’s all behind her now and, if everything works out as planned, so could the competition this weekend.
Madeleine O’Neill, Narragansett
We talked to a few coaches prior to the class meet, who indicated to us hat they were going to have some of their top runners hold back in preparation for a peak performance at the State Meet. Was that the case with O’Neill this past weekend against Sullivan? Could she have made that decision once her rival took off at the start with a lightning-fast opening mile of 5:37? The Mariner senior has twice gone under 19 minutes this season, including a season best and winning time of 18:42.13 at the Avenger Invitational a few weeks ago. With an all-out effort, she’s capable of another top-seven finish at the states this weekend.
Alyssa Parenteau, La Salle Academy
The gifted ninth-grader was our top underclassmen at the class championships, placing third overall in Class A with a PR of 19:27.26. With her effort, Parenteau led the Rams’ to the team title where they posted a nine-point victory over pre-race favorite Cumberland. We believe the La Salle frosh is only scratching the surface and has the ability to run even faster on Saturday. She’ll certainly have the motivation with the Rams being one of the top teams to take it all this weekend.
Grace Doyle, Classical
Doyle solidified her spot on this list after her impressive runner-up finish at the Class A meet where she clocked her all-time best at Ponaganset of 19:08.50. In this field, a time under 19 minutes could place you among the top four or five runners this weekend. Don’t be surprised if that happens for the Classical senior.
Alison Pankowicz, Toll Gate
Pankowicz, who recently committed to the University of Rhode Island, placed fourth in Class A with a time of 19:29.88. In a conversation with Toll Gate coach Norm Bouthillier, he told us that his star runner told him she felt great and was confident she could run a lot faster this weekend. We had a chance to see Pankowicz at the Catholic Memorial Invitational a few weeks ago where she was second overall in her race with a PR of 19:00.50 on a tough 5K at Franklin Park. She could be another runner teetering with a sub-19 with the right kind of race.
Kiley Defusco, Cumberland
The Clipper junior didn’t have her best race this past weekend, placing sixth overall in Class A with a time of 19:43.01. We’re confident DeFusco will rebound this weekend with a strong performance versus the state’s best. During the season, she had a PR of 18:51.32 to take ninth overall in the seeded race of the Maine Festival of Champions. She’ll have fire in her eyes this weekend, especially considering that the Clippers are in the hunt for the team title.
Abbie Tighe, North Kingstown
Tighe is another ninth-grader that has a chance to solidify a spot on the first-team, all-state squad. The individual titlist at the Freshmen State Championships was fifth overall in Class A with a time of 19:36.49. She was second behind O’Neill at the Avenger Invitational with a PR of 18:52.36.
Jessica Deal Mount Hope
Deal was fourth in this race last year, proving she knows how to perform in the biggest meet of the season. In her Class B race, the Huskies’ sophomore clocked a solid 19:37.77. To crack the top seven, she’ll more than likely have to run at least 20-25 seconds faster. We believe she has the ability to make it happen. Last year, she 19:12 at both the class and state meet.
***
Hey…what about us? Yes, we do have a few more to keep an eye on this weekend. Those runners include Mount St. Charles’ Emmy Belvin, Moses Brown’s Jay Champlin, North Kingstown’s Lucy Stowe and La Salle teammates Mia Bettez and Maeve Casey, just to name a few.
