We’re going to be honest here. Picking the back end of the top 10—the final four teams—is not easy. The top six, by comparison, appear cut and dry.
We’re picking Mount Hope. But for that prediction to hold, the Huskies will need their final three varsity members to come through. That’s where they seem to have their biggest drop-off.
For the fourth straight year, Mount Hope will be led by Jessica Deal. The Crusader senior was tenth at last year’s State Meet after finishing fifth as a sophomore and fourth as a ninth-grader in a breakthrough 2022 campaign. Compared to her previous two years on the trails, Deal had an off year last fall, despite earning a spot on the second-team all-state squad. She’s likely gained confidence from her recent track season, where she set personal bests in the 800m (2:24.44) and 1,500m (4:36.88), the latter placing her second at the outdoor state meet.
Juniors Kara Pisascale and Evelyn Towers form a solid No. 2–3 duo, with 5K bests of 21:19.11 and 22:05.78 at Ponaganset, site of the class and state meets. The No. 4 is senior Lillian DaSilveira, who ran 23:21.92 on the Chieftains’ Covered Bridge Trail. The No. 5 runner is nearly three minutes behind, with the other two within 30–40 seconds. Deal, who has a 5K best of 18:45.96 from her sophomore year, is a legit top five at the State Meet. This will certainly help in the final scoring.
Pisascale and Towers could fall between 30th and 50th based on last year’s performances. If DaSilveira can get her time under 23 minutes—an effort that’s certainly attainable—the Huskies could be on their way to something special. Again, it will take significant improvement from those final few harriers to make it happen.
