The Marblehead spring track and field team sent a handful of individuals to compete in Friday’s BSR Mid-Distance Classic in Danvers.
“Overall, this was a great showing from the distance squad in less than ideal conditions with a pretty significant breeze on the back stretch,” said Marblehead coach Will Herlihy. “A handful of runners in this group were coming back from vacation and still had great performances. The distance and mid-distance squad is an incredibly committed and disciplined group. Even when they are away on vacation, they still keep up with their training and it shows in their racing.”
It certainly did. In the girls’ 1-mile (49 runners), Marrietta O’Connell placed fifth with a time of 5:22.69. She was followed by Maren Potter (33rd; 6:38.01) and Shannon Hitscherich (38th; 6:38.01).
“Marri went out strong in her signature way, opening the first 200 meters fast before settling into her pace. Her time is only three seconds off her PR from last spring and to be running this quick, this early, is another great sign for the young star. Her time was also good for seventh fastest in Massachusetts so far this season,” Herlihy said. “Maren Potter was the second Marblehead runner, finishing 33rd in 6:19.29. This is an over 10-second improvement from Monday. Shannon Hitscherich rounded out the Marblehead girls milers with a 38th place finish in 6:38.01.”
In the boys’ field of 78 runners, Will Cerrutti finished third in a personal record time of 4:31.34. Following were Nate Assa (6th; 4:34.34), Henrik Adams (18th; 4:47.31), Will Cruikshank (33rd; 4:56.06), and Ryan Blestowe (51st; 5:13.09).
“Will Cerrutti rounded onto the homestretch in sixth place, but an outstanding final 100m kick helped him snag third place in a new PR of 4:31.34. Will was moved out to the barrel – unexpectedly – right before the race started, but still managed to run a great tactical race and put himself in a position to be on the podium at the end. Nate Assa had himself a great debut race by finishing sixth in 4:34.34. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: Nate’s growth from last year has been insane. At this time last year, he was hanging right around the five-minute mark, and now, he’s opening his season with a mid-4:30.”
Last, but certainly not least, in the girls’ 800m (46 runners), Kate Twomey finished 14th in 2:31.83 – the sole Marblehead runner.
“Her time is right on par for what she was running at this point in the season last year, when she would go on to win the NEC (Northeastern Conference) title. This was also Kate’s debut race in the young season and this is certainly a great place to start. Kate is a prime example of the commitment of this group.”