Two repeat individual champions, a freshman winner, a sweep of the team titles by two schools, history being made for one school and just 19 points for one powerhouse squad.
Saturday’s RIIL Class XC Championships had it all on a crisp, sunny day along Ponaganset High’s covered-bridge trail.
In the meet-opening Class C boys’ race, Providence Country Day’s Leo Woodman dominated from the gun. The PCD senior quickly established control and cruised to a victory by more than 50 seconds, crossing the finish line in 16 minutes, 6.38 seconds.
With no one within striking distance by the midway point, Woodman kept himself focused by looking ahead to what awaits when the state’s best collide next weekend.
“I felt pretty good. I knew from the start I just had to take it out and just get ready for states,” he said. “I just imagined it was the state meet and there was someone in front of me that I had to pass at the end.”
Moses Brown’s Ben Glew finished second in 16:58.58, followed by Burrillville’s Drew Gaulin in 17:04.38. Glew and his Quaker teammates helped Moses Brown capture its first in school history. With all five of its scorers among the top 16 finishers, Moses Brown compiled 42 points. North Smithfield was second with 67. Behind Glew were senior Braden Phyte (seventh, 17:45.04), junior Oscar Li (eighth, 17:47.64), senior Ian Whiteley (13th, 18:05.66) and senior Charlie Grand (16th, 18:16.37).
For the second straight year, St. Raphael’s Mackenzie Lickert was the first across the line. The Saints senior took a patient approach, staying with the lead pack from the beginning but not taking over the front-running duties until there was a mile remaining. From there, she built a nearly 30-second lead over early-race leader Keira Closter of Block Island by the time she reached the finish line, posting a season-best 18:50.42. Closter was timed in 19:19.58. North Smithfield’s Julia Dowling was third in 19:20.03.
“It was definitely by design,” said Lickert about her pre-race strategy. “It was the plan that coach (Chris) Magill gave to me. Just stay with the pack the first two miles, and go hard that last mile. I definitely had to conserve some energy for the state meet, and the New England’s and everything that follows that so I can be strong and ready to run my best.”
Moses Brown completed the sweep of the team titles. The Lady Quakers held off second-place PCD/St. Raphael Co-op, 41-46, in a narrow decision. Freshman Catherine Tang (fifth, 20:28.19), senior Edie Lane (seventh, 21:11.65), sophomore Penelope Sharpio (10th, 21:31.34), senior Lola Baill (12th, 21:44.73) and junior Grace Wilson (17th, 22:31.84) scored for Moses Brown.
Just as predicted, Bishop Hendricken, ranked No. 15 in the country, was dominant in the boys’ Class A race, defeating runner-up La Salle Academy, 19-72. The Hawks went 1-2, with senior Colby Flynn and junior Shepherd Butler crossing the finish line in 15:30.55 and 15:30.71, respectively.
Hendricken placed all five of its scorers among the first seven finishers, with each breaking 16 minutes on the 5K course. The gap between its first and fifth runners was just 25 seconds, while less than a minute separated the entire varsity squad.
“The big goal of this race was just to get a feel of the course for next week,” Flynn said. “It was mainly a hard effort. It wasn’t an all-out race. We kind of just demonstrated running together, pack mentality. Throughout the course of the race, me and Shep were just running together and making sure we weren’t overdoing it. We finished strong. We really executed our goal.”
To put their performance in perspective, the Hawks arguably outdid even their impressive 2018 team at the Class Championships. That squad had four runners break 16 minutes before going on to finish fourth at the Nike Cross Nationals in Oregon.
Along with Flynn and Butler, senior Andrew Williams (fourth, 15:48.20), senior Jeremy Dru (fifth, 15:51.16) and junior Colton Orr (seventh, 15:55.21) rounded out the scoring five for the Hawks.
La Salle seniors Will Souza (third, 15:35.14) and Matt Lewis (sixth, 15:51.73), Pilgrim freshman Kington Bayha (eighth, 15:58.62) and Hendricken sophomore Luke Tremble (ninth, 16:05.55) and junior Oliver Redmond (10th, 16:21.85) also cracked the top 10.
In securing her second straight title in the girls’ race, La Salle’s Alyssa Parenteau was in control from the gun. She bolted to the lead, built a seven-second cushion by 800 meters, passed through the first mile in 5:35 and cruised to victory in 18:34.92.
The Rams senior finished comfortably ahead of North Kingstown’s Abbie Tighe, who placed second in 18:43.83. Last year’s runner-up, Cecelia Ludwig of Cumberland, finished third in 18:54.89.
“Last year I went out slow in this race. I wanted to see how I could do, going out pretty fast,” Parenteau said. “I went through 1,000 meters in 3:15, and felt pretty good doing it. I thought people were with me, but my coaches were saying I’m fine.”
La Salle made it four straight titles, defeating North Kingstown, 38-59. Cumberland, which was missing several of its top varsity runners, finished third with 70 points.
Parenteau, senior Caroline Terlato (sixth, 19:08.35), junior Layne Stevens (ninth, 19:22.43), junior Kenya Depine (10th, 19:31.51) and senior Stella Pelagio (16th, 20:06.12) accounted for the Rams’ scoring five.
Senior Brooks Mello led a 1-2-3 finish by Barrington in the Class B boys’ race. Mello crossed the line in 15:52.60, less than five seconds ahead of junior Ryan Hurlock, who was timed in 15:57.07. Senior Colby Napolitano was third in 15:58.24.
The Eagles scored an impressive 25 points to capture the team title. Top rival East Greenwich was second with 41 points.
“We knew we had a good chance to have the top three runners, which at the end of the race we had the top three,” Mello said. “Ryan and I, we wanted to make sure we pushed, especially that first mile. I think we wanted to maybe push it a little more in the middle part of the race. But overall, we’re still happy with the results.”
Along with their top three finishers, freshman Finnian Evans (ninth, 16:40.40) and sophomore Calvin Mentzer (10th, 16:41.34) also scored for Barrington.
South Kingstown freshman Emma Morrissey was the fastest of the day on the girls’ side. The Rebels standout navigated the Chieftains’ five-kilometer layout in a crisp 18:24.22. Barrington sophomore Carly Gill (second, 18:31.75) and senior Evelyn Lefort (third, 18:57.08) took the next two spots.
Morrissey broke away from her competition early in the race. After settling in with the leaders for the first mile, she made her move on the initial uphill climb shortly after and never relinquished the lead.
“That was my plan coming into the race,” Morrissey said. “I think I executed it well.”
Barrington completed the sweep in Class B, winning its first team title since 2023 with a 31-64 triumph over East Greenwich. Following Gill and Lefort for the Eagles were freshmen Elizabeth Van Hull (seventh, 19:51.67) and Sarah Clegg (eighth, 19:52.99), along with sophomore Charlotte Ford (11th, 20:37.21).
In the Junior Varsity State Championships, La Salle junior Gemma Kent broke the tape in 20:07.12. Sophomore teammate Mary Monahan was second in 20:10.88. The Rams defeated Barrington, 22-52, for the team crown.
Just like the varsity race, Hendricken dominated its rivals in the boys’ JV race. Highlighted by a win from sophomore Micah Dru, the Hawks had the first seven runners across the line to post a 15-73 decision over East Greenwich.
