It looks like the Lady Rams are ready.
With championship season looming, La Salle Academy turned in its best team performance of the season Saturday at the Manhattan University XC Invitational in New York. Facing some of the region’s top programs and several from beyond it, the Rams placed third among 17 teams in the featured Eastern States Championship girls’ race.
Bethlehem Central, ranked No. 5 in the Northeast and No. 1 in New York, captured the title with 96 points. Mountain Brook, Alabama’s five-time defending Class 6A champion, finished second with 111 points. La Salle tallied 134 points to claim third place.
The Rams finished with a tight 1:18.1 spread between their five scoring runners and averaged a crisp 15:56.3 on the challenging 2.5-mile course at historic Van Cortlandt Park. Senior Alyssa Parenteau led the way, placing ninth overall in 15:05.6, a mile pace just over six minutes.
Showcasing their depth, La Salle’s next five finishers were separated by just 31.7 seconds. Senior Sayla Mohan placed 35th in 15:56.2, followed by junior Layne Stevens (40th, 16:05.7), senior Carolina Terlato (42nd, 16:10.3), junior Stella Pelagio (52nd, 16:23.6) and junior Kenya Depina (56th, 16:27.9).
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Bishop Hendricken further cemented its status among the region’s elite by placing second in the boys’ competition. Broughton High of North Carolina, ranked No. 1 in its state and ninth nationally, captured the title with just 64 points. The Hawks scored 115 points to finish eight ahead of third-place Christian Brothers Academy of New Jersey. La Salle College High School placed fourth with 134 points.
Hendricken, Christian Brothers Academy and La Salle College are currently ranked Nos. 1, 3 and 4, respectively, in the Northeast.
As in its two previous victories at the Bowdoin Park (N.Y.) Classic on Sept. 26 and the Shore Coaches (N.J.) Invitational last week, Hendricken was led by senior Colby Flynn and junior Shepherd Butler. Flynn placed seventh in 12:31.6, while Butler finished ninth in 12:38.3. Junior Oliver Redmond followed in 26th (13:00.2), with junior Colton Orr taking 41st in 13:10.7 and sophomore Luke Tremble rounding out the scoring five in 13:10.9. The Hawks showcased their pack strength with a tight 39.1-second spread among their five scorers.
Individually, MacKenzie Lickert of Saint Raphael Academy produced the state’s second fastest time among girls at the meet. The SRA senior was fourth in the ‘B’ race with a time of 15:23.6.
La Salle’s Matt Lewis and Will Souza had top boys’ performances in the ‘A’ race with a pair of sub 13-minute efforts. Lewis was second overall in 12:56.4. Souza was right behind in third at 12:58.2.
