TThe 2025 cross-country season is officially underway.
Under bright, sunny skies, teams from across Rhode Island gathered at Deerfield Park on Saturday for the RITCA Injury Fund XC Carnival.
As is typical for the season opener, some schools approached the meet with full intensity, while others treated it as a hard tempo effort to shake off the rust.
Boys’ Varsity Highlights
Defending state champion Marshall Vernon showed he’s healthy and primed for his senior campaign. In the meet finale — the Skinkle Race — the La Salle Academy standout shattered the meet record by more than 15 seconds, winning in 15:17.66. The Rams dominated the team battle as well, placing 1-2-3-4-11 for a commanding 21–44 victory over runner-up Barrington.
Defending team champion Bishop Hendricken was equally impressive in the Brennan Race, sweeping the top six spots to tally the minimum 15 points — 43 ahead of North Kingstown. Senior Colby Flynn looked sharp in claiming individual honors with a comfortable 15:43.14.
In the Malloy Race, East Greenwich sophomore Jeremiah Moon delivered a breakthrough performance, running a huge personal best of 16:33.61 for his first varsity win. Cumberland earned the team crown with a 34–46 decision over East Greenwich.
Girls’ Varsity Highlights
North Kingstown’s Lucy Stowe turned in the fastest girls’ time of the day, winning the Roy Race in 19:00.89. Barrington edged NK for the team title, 78–81, with the Skippers missing top returnee Abbie Tighe.
La Salle Academy looked dominant in the Hindley Race, scoring 16 points to top East Greenwich by 40. The Rams placed seven runners in the top 10 and 10 in the first 16. Junior Alyssa Parenteau led the charge with a 19:16.11 victory.
In the Caswell Race, CC Ludwig of Cumberland was a commanding winner in 19:01.99. The Clippers, state champions the past two years, entered only four runners and could not factor in the team scoring. Moses Brown held off Lincoln, 35–37, to secure the team title.
Freshmen Races
In the freshman races, which covered 2.5 miles, Merideh Alge of Chariho (15:36.03) and Micah Dru (14:13.4) of East Greenwich claimed the girls’ and boys’ victories, respectively.
Stay tuned — Ocean State Running will have a full recap soon.
