The Thetford Academy Panthers took second among 11 teams at the Vermont Division III Cross Country Championship on their home course Saturday.
Thetford’s Ollie Emery finished sixth, Peter Horan 12th and Zac Amber 15th. Gage Magnuson of Bellows Free Academy – Fairfax won the race in 16:38.
Going into the 5,000 meter race, Thetford co-coach Joseph Deffner said the team realized BFA Fairfax, the champions, likely could not be caught on this day.
“We were thrilled with our boys finishing second in Division 3,” said Deffner, who coaches with Emily Silver. “They pulled it off through really strong races from Ollie Emery, Peter Horan, and Zac Amber. Of special note, however, was an exceptional race by Kit Payson (23rd).They all picked it up for a teammate who has been struggling with sickness, and that was really nice to see because it’s what good teams do.”
For the girls, Deffner was pleased with the effort and results, fourth place, with six of the seven runners hitting personal records on the day.
“I was happy for them as they aren’t the same team they were when we started out in August,” Deffner said. “Maddie Piecuch and Meredith Sloop had solid races, while Lola Squire and Annelies Currier leveled up. Their fourth place finish was a good one —especially for a team with so many new runners.”
Piecuch finished 18th, Sloop 20th, Squire 23rd, Currier 28th, and Brooke Wood 31st among 58 runners.
Also in the boys race, White River Valley’s George Roda was 21st and Jake Danis of Oxbow was 24th in a field of 92 runners. Desi Broadley of Green Mountain was first (20:22) in the girls race with White River’s Anya Young third, Oxbow’s Casey Wiedrick fifth and Natalie Ranney of Windsor was 13th. White River nor Oxbow had enough runners for a team score.
Results: Boys – Bellows Free Academy 41, Thetford Academy 78, Peoples Academy 106, Stowe 106, Lake Region 139, Richford 142, Arlington Memorial 196, Rice Memorial 208, Randolph Union 217, Craftsbury 228, Hazen 245. Girls – Rice Memorial 49, Stowe 49, Peoples Academy 58, Thetford Academy 86, Lake Region 103, Randolph 137.
Woodstock girls finish fourth, Hartford boys fifth in D-II
Woodstock’s Mary Sluka was sixth at the Vermont Division II Cross Country Championships on Saturday at Thetford Academy and the Wasps were fifth overall among 10 teams.
The Harford boys were fourth with Scott McSherry 15th, Elliott Brooks 17th, Elijah Ofstad 19th and Leo Snyder-Hamalainen 27th in a field of 89 runners and 13 team scores.
Sluka’s teammates, Aurora Hensel-Whalen, Aven Westbrook and Ruth Stallard finished 31st , 33rd and 38th respectively. For the Hartford girls, Sylvia Johnson was seventh and Lyla Metheny 41st among 77 runners. Woodstock’s top finishers in the boys race, won by Cole Page (U-32, 16:51) were Zach Peterman 36th , Liam Wheeler 48th and Logan Martes 49th.
Results: Girls – Burr and Burton 39, Middlebury Union 109, Harwood 153, Woodstock 154, Montpelier 174, Missisquoi Valley 174, Hartford 185, Lamoille 190, Lyndon Institute 224. Boys – U-32 19, Burr And Burton Academy 62, Montpelier 104, Hartford 116, Harwood Union 145, Lyndon Institute 207, Middlebury Union 215, Lamoille Union 239, Woodstock Union 244, Vergennes 263.
