WHS sophomore Koutalidis places fourth at Nike Cross Regionals Open Race

Staff Reports
·2 min read
Members of the Winnacunnet High School girls cross country team, from left, Carson Mariotti, Charlotte Koutalidis, Taylor Boies, Casey Coleman, Sophie Ravencraft, Kaylee Rafferty and Carly Eaton, placed second as a team at last Saturday's Nike Cross 5K Regionals at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls, New York.
Members of the Winnacunnet High School girls cross country team, from left, Carson Mariotti, Charlotte Koutalidis, Taylor Boies, Casey Coleman, Sophie Ravencraft, Kaylee Rafferty and Carly Eaton, placed second as a team at last Saturday's Nike Cross 5K Regionals at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls, New York.

WAPPINGERS FALLS, New York – The Winnacunnet High School girls cross country team made the near 500-mile roundtrip trek last Saturday to the Nike Cross Regionals Open Race at Bowdoin Park.

The Warriors, running under the name Closing Kooks, placed second in the seven-team field with 65 points.

“I couldn’t be prouder of these girls,’ Winnacunnet coach Jason Saltmarsh said. “They wrapped up a successful cross country season running against some of the best girls in the Northeast on a very challenging course. The girls moved to the front of the race right from the gun and held on with grit and determination. Our mission was to leave everything on the course and finish on empty. Mission accomplished.”

The 2021 Nike Cross Series Championship race featured the region’s top 22 teams and top 45 individuals. There was also an Open race for teams that fall outside of the top 22 Northeast region rankings.

The Northeast region consists of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the six New England states.

Teams were not allowed to run under their high school name at this meet, so the girls came up with a name for their squad that they felt reflected their community and their spirit. "Closing" comes from the team's belief that they should "always be closing" and finish fast. "Kooks" was chosen as a nod to the surfer culture in Hampton.

Winnacunnet sophomore Charlotte Koutalidis placed fourth overall in a time of 20 minutes, 51.8 seconds.

“It was definitely the hardest course we have done but that’s what made it exciting,” said Koutalidis, who placed 17th at the Division I state meet and 18th at the Meet of Champions this fall. "Being with the team and the whole environment got me really pumped up. I got out to a good start like how we practiced and I was right in the front. I knew I wouldn’t maintain that pace but I wanted to get out quick and get a good spot. I settled into fourth and stayed there the whole race. During the tough spots, I kept thinking “finish on empty.'”

Winnacunnet had all six of its runners finish in the top 50 in the 93-runner field.

Freshmen Carson Mariotti (22:16.9) and Carly Eaton (22:35) placed 22nd and 29th, respectively. Junior Taylor Boies was 33rd (22:55.3), sophomore Kaylee Rafferty (22:59.2) was 35th and junior Sophia Ravencraft (23:33.8) was 48th.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Winnacunnet girls second at Nike Cross Regionals Open Race