With the league season concluding this week, teams are now gearing up for the championship season in two weeks.
For some, part of that preparation will take place in Manchester, Conn., this weekend at the annual Wickham Park Invitational.
The North Kingstown girls’ squad, ranked No. 3 in Ocean State Running’s preseason rankings, will compete in its first major meet of the fall campaign at Saturday’s invitational. The Skippers are entered in the Large School race, where they’ll take on some of Connecticut’s top programs.
A week removed from its runner-up finish in the boys’ race at the Maine Festival of Champions, East Greenwich will look to carry that momentum to Wickham in the Medium School race. The Avengers had four of their top five finishers break 17 minutes for the five-kilometer course in Maine. Matching that effort on Wickham’s challenging 5K terrain would bode well for head coach Sean Connolly and his squad.
The East Greenwich girls, who finished with a perfect 9-0 record in the Suburban Division, are also entered in their respective race. With several key runners missing and just five competing in Maine, the Lady Avengers finished 12th overall. It will be interesting to see how they fare at Wickham with a full squad on the line.
In the Small School races, West Warwick will have teams competing in both the girls’ and boys’ divisions.
