In the history of Rhode Island cross country, nearly a dozen runners have captured the individual boys’ title at the New England Championships. Within the last decade, it’s happened three times — with former high-school standouts D.J. Principe of La Salle Academy winning back-to-back crowns in 2015 and 2016, and St. Raphael alum Devan Kipyego taking the top spot in 2022.
Could we see yet another Rhode Island runner add their name to that distinguished list this weekend?
The odds are favorable.
When the 90th annual event gets underway Saturday in Thetford, Vermont, the Ocean State will send one of the strongest contingents in the region, ready to make their mark on the challenging Woods Trail course.
At last year’s race, La Salle’s Marshall Vernon came within a second of victory, finishing runner-up to Newtown graduate and Foot Locker All-American Soheib Dissa. Vernon, who placed fourth at last weekend’s State Meet, will be back on the line this Saturday hoping for a victory. The Stanford commit will be joined by the top three finishers from that state competition: Portsmouth’s Sean Gray, and Hendricken’s Colby Flynn and David Hayes.
Of the 200-plus that will answer the gun for the 12:15 p.m., start, Gray is considered the slight favorite to earn the crown. A few weeks after his big win at the Shore Coaches (NJ) Invitational, the Virginia-bound senior kept his impressive unbeaten streak alive this season, with a narrow victory over Flynn at the states where the pair were timed in 15:16.1 and 15:16.5, respectively.
Nearly 50 runners in this race have dipped under 16 minutes this fall.
Bishop Hendricken, one of the top teams in the northeast, comes in as the favorite in the team battle. The Hawks are a week removed from capturing their fifth straight state title by scoring just 30 points.
Recent state champion CC Ludwig of Cumberland leads the R.I., entries making the trip this weekend for the 48th edition of the girls’ race, set to start at 11:30 a.m. Ludwig has the momentum to shine at Thetford after clocking a PR of 18:17.27 at the states.
More than 60 runners in this field have gone sub-19 with eight under 18 minutes.
Cumberland and La Salle, 1-2 finishers at the State Meet, are among the top teams at the regional meet.
For full preview of the boys’ race, click HERE, courtesy of New Hampshire XC/TF
For full preview of the girls’ race, click HERE, courtesy of New Hampshire XC/TF
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Thanks to Marty Ogden of mysportsresults.com for the follow information about this weekend’s meet.
The tough Thetford course that has held New England championships since the early 90’s is picturesque but also one of the toughest courses in the northeast that favors strength over raw speed. Athletes have about a minute to cross a field before entering the trails that narrow quickly. While there is plenty of room to move if you go out for a run with friends, with most of the top runners in the region all fighting for the same space that can only accommodate about five or six people across, elbows will have to be raised to protect your space. Most of the course is either up or down hill so there is not a lot of time to just get into a rhythm. But for strength runners who love longer intervals, hills and mud, this is the course for you. Morty’s Monster is just what the name implies… It is a real monster. But you can’t rest on the top because you still have over a thousand meters to go until the finish, which is a mad dash across the only field on the course. For about a minute and a half, at least one runner crosses the line every single second, so you better run through the line if you are racing.
The weather forecast is 50 degrees and cloudy in the morning, with a little sun in the afternoon. But Thetford could get a little rain on Friday night which could make the trails challenging.
Course Map
