QUINLAN KELLY placed 12th overall in 21:50 at the Div. 3A state championship on Saturday in Northfield. The sophomore will now compete in the Div. 3 state championship race at Devens this Saturday. (Courtesy Photo)
NORTHFIELD — Once again led by sophomore Quinlan Kelly, the North Reading High School girls’ and boys’ cross country teams finished their fall seasons with solid results in the MIAA Division 3A State Championship last Saturday at Northfield Mountain.
Kelly placed 12th overall in a time of 21:50.56, which qualified her as a medalist and as a qualifier for the MIAA Division 3 State Championship race at Devens this Saturday, Nov. 18.
The girls as a team placed 16th overall out of 19 teams in the race. Senior co-Captain Allison Koenig (86th, 25:52.84), Senior Stella DaSilva (96th, 26:17.94), Freshman Riley MacDonald (105th, 27:02.64), Junior Vanessa Steinmeyer (107th, 27:07.19) and Senior Sophie Saquet (138th, 33:29.98) rounded out the Hornet competitors at the race.
“We had a solid effort on a challenging course,” said Hornets head coach Ryan Spinney. “Quin’s performance puts her in a special group of individuals who have made it to the State final from NRHS. Her effort speaks for itself. She is extremely deserving of this honor. The whole team stepped up and ran their very best race. We are very proud of this group of young student athletes.”
On the boy’s side, the Hornets were led by Junior Nicolas Johnson who finished 80th overall in a time of 20:12.62. Sophomore Cole Fabrizio was just behind him with 82nd place in a time of 20:16.79. Sophomore Gerard Jorda (131st, 21:56.44), Senior Dylan Zecher (142nd, 22:25.45), Freshman Connor Abruzzese (162nd, 23:56.46) and Junior Dawson Duffley (168th, 25:21.55) rounded out the Hornet competitors. The team placed 23rd overall out of 26 teams.
“A great job by all who raced today,” said Spinney. “This team is young and now has state championship experience. We should definitely be able to build on this result and improve for next fall.”
Kelly will be racing at 11:45 a.m. in the MIAA Division 3 State Championship girls’ race at Devens on Saturday. Good Luck, Quinlan and congratulations to all on a great season.
