Wachusett's Witt takes top spot, Algonquin nabs team title at CMADA girls' XC championships
GARDNER — Saturday’s delightful weather – sunny and warm – was a little sunnier and warmer for the Algonquin and Wachusett girls’ cross country teams.
In the Central Mass. Athletic Directors Association Championship at Gardner Municipal Golf Course, Algonquin won the team title and Wachusett senior Ashlynn Witt placed first among the field of 76 runners.
With four runners crossing in the top 15, Algonquin totaled 48 points, edging the Mountaineers, who had 52 for second place. Westborough finished third with 94.
Witt, who broke from the pack early and stayed in front with graceful, quick strides, crossed the finish line of the 3.1 mile race in 20 minutes and 16.23 seconds, easily winning the gold.
“I separated myself from the others about five minutes into the race. It kind of surprised me,” said Witt, who was unbeaten in dual meets this fall and was first in last week’s league meet. “I ran conservatively on the first lap, and picked up the pace during the second lap.”
Up early Saturday morning, Witt, who will enroll at Quinnipiac University in the fall, ate an English muffin spread with peanut butter and banana before the trip to Gardner. “And water. That’s my go-to breakfast before every race,” she said. “I felt great going in.”
As a team, Algonquin came in also very prepared.
Leading the Titans to their team championship victory was determined junior Brigid Purcell, who crossed in 21:06, finishing in the runner-up spot.
“I started off faster than I normally do, and during the last mile, I just went all out to the point where I felt I just couldn’t even walk at the end,” said Purcell.
“Brigid is tough as nails,” said Algonquin coach Pat Galvin. “She gave it an extra drive at the end and went deep into the pain cave with a great finish. She led a great group of girls on this team who, from the first race, have always been working toward the postseason meets.”
Key to gaining the first-place team honors for Algonquin were junior Olivia Guckian in fourth (21:08) a step behind third-place finisher Rachael Korowski from Hudson (21:06) and the other top Titans: senior Ada Gebauer in 10th and junior Sheila Purcell in 14th.
“Winning this race as a team really feels good,” said Gebauer. “And I have to say we weren’t expecting this. But it’s nice to see all our hard work pay off. We all push and support each other as a team.”
Guckian who finished very close to the runner-up spot, added, “This win feels good, although I really didn’t like my performance. Still, I tried to do my best and pass as many girls as I could toward the end.”
And that she did.
Sheila Purcell, who said she maintained a good pace down the stretch, keeping her position on her way to the finish line, credited the team’s success to the night-before team dinner at the 110 Grill in Marlborough.
“We all had the shrimp scampi." Purcell said. "And pasta, that's the secret. We may have to go back there before the next race.”
Other strong performances by Wachusett runners included senior Olivia Pickett in sixth place, sophomore Kate Robinson (13th) and senior Lena Takahashi (15th).
Also among the top 10 overall with excellent performances were Tantasqua senior Tessa Kline (fifth), Westborough senior Paige Estaphan (seventh), Burncoat senior Juanita Guitierrez (eighth) and Shrewsbury junior Paige Umile (ninth).
Contact Jay Gearan at sports@telegram.com.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Algonquin, Wachusett shine at CMADA girls' XC championships
