AC XC Defeats Archbishop Williams, Cardinal Spellman
Double Victory for Boys, Girls Cross-Country Teams
Story Updated 7:39AM, Friday, September 25, 2009
– Allison Goldsberry
The Arlington Catholic Boys and Girls Cross Country Teams made it two in a row with key wins over Archbishop Williams on Tuesday and previously undefeated Cardinal Spellman on Thursday.
The boys put away Archbishop Williams by a score of 19 to 41 (low score wins). They were led by junior captain Joe Donlon (Stoneham), who took first place with a time of 19:57. Donlon was closely followed by two teammates who took second and third place- freshman Kevin Connors (Belmont, 19:58) and sophomore Kyle Liberti (Medford, 20:01). The Cougars also took 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th place- senior Jon Mancini (Arlington, 21:26), co-captain and senior Kyle Lovett (Woburn, 21:28), sophomore Nolan Hart (Medford, 21:36), and junior Andy Cohen (Waltham, 22:02).
The girls, who pulled out a 20-43 victory over Archbishop Williams, finished second through eighth, with senior Harriet Gabbidon of Malden leading the way for the Cougars with a time of 25:09. Gabbidon was followed by junior Lauren Reis of Arlington (25:10), freshman Janelle Solviletti of Billerica (25:11), senior tri-captain Corinne LaVassuer of Melrose (25:19,) sophomore Bridget Kirlpatrick of Medford (25:24), sophomore Mary Stanton of Woburn (25:25), senior tri-captain Linda Buehler of Woburn (26:55), and senior tri-captain Bonnie Ferrira of Somerville (28:09).
Cardinal Spellman was a big meet for the Cougars, now 3-0. The Cougars were up to the task despite competing on a challenging 2.8 mile course in the heart of the opponent’s campus in Brockton. The boys narrowly edged Cardinal Spellman, 26 to 30, while the girls won 23 to 37.
The boys were once again were led by Donlon, who is currently undefeated, with a winning time of 16:23. Donlon was followed by Connors (4th place), Liberti (5th), Chris Laffey (Billerica, 6th ), Cohen (10th), and Mancini (11th).
The girls once again won with a great team effort, placing nine runners in the top twelve. LaVasuer was the first Cougar, placing second,followed by Solviletti (3rd), Kirkpatrick (4th), Stanton (6th), Reis (8th), Gabbidon (9th), sophomore Becca Gonsalves-Lamontagne (10th), Ferriera (11th), and Buehler (12th).
Head Coach Jack Dempsey was very pleased with his team’s performance.
“They came to run. They know what’s at stake. They had to be in top form and they were,” said Coach Dempsey.
Although the team is undefeated at 3-0 right now, Coach Dempsey said the last three meets of the season are against the toughest teams in the league- Austin Prep and Marion for the girls, Austin Prep and Bishop Fenwick for the boys.
“We’re right in the mix. Anything could happen,” said Dempsey.
The AC teams run at home at Menotomy Park next Tuesday against Lowell Catholic and will participate in the Arlington/Arlington Catholic Game Day on Saturday, October 3. Coach Dempsey said the team is focusing on making a strong showing against Arlington on Game Day.
Coach Dempsey has made video of both meets- click here to watch the Archbishop Williams meet and click here to watch the Cardinal Spellman meet.