The Lady Clippers Pass the First Test
In their first meet of the season against elite competition, the Cumberland girls turned in a strong showing at Saturday’s 50th annual Manchester Invitational. The Clippers finished third among 25 schools with 100 points, the same total as runner-up Hanover. Taking the team title was defending New England champion Champlain Valley Union with just 58 points.
Leading the way for the Clippers was sophomore CC Ludwig, who conquered the demanding five-kilometer course in 19 minutes, 34 seconds. Senior Charli McCue followed at 19:53. Rounding out the scorers for Cumberland were junior Gabby Stoothoff (23rd, 20:26), freshman Natalie Crawford (28th, 20:43), and junior Anna Bianchi (29th, 20:45). As a group, the Blue and White averaged a solid 20:17.
“We went not just to work, but to work hard — and we did,” said CHS coach Kerrie Carpenter. “I’m excited to celebrate the growth from last year, but we’re staying humble knowing there’s still a lot of work ahead.”
In the Large School boys’ race, Cumberland placed a solid fifth overall (225 points) while Barrington was 13th (340 points) among 35 teams. The Clippers had three runners dip under 18 minutes: Noah Brown (17th, 17:11), Ethan Libby (21st, 17:14), and Jake Schonoff (39th, 17:43). For Barrington, top finishers were Colby Napolitano (22nd, 17:16), Ryan Hurlock (67th, 18:14), and Sam Spencer (72nd, 18:20).
Thanks to our partners at New Hamsphire XC and Track & Field we have plenty of photos and videos of all the races at Saturday’s meet.
