Coach Ray Dunn, Hannah Keaney, Alyssa Swindells, Molly Gormley, and Hannah Porter. (Courtesy photo)
The Bromfield cross country team raced through mud and rain at the Ocean State Invitational last Saturday. The meet was held at Goddard Park in Warwick, R.I. All put in a solid effort to represent Bromfield among more than 3,000 runners from all over the Northeast.
“I was very proud of the running performances of each of our runners, as well as how the girls pulled together as a team and supported each other under very challenging conditions,” said coach Ray Dunn. “It was wet and muddy, and in spite of the conditions, we did great.”
Bromfield freshman girls kicked off the day, placing third in their race with 153 points, just 12 points behind second-place Notre Dame Academy. Alyssa Swindells led the squad with a seventh-place finish, crossing the line with a time of 16:57.95 over the 4-kilometer race. Molly Gormley finished next in 18th place, and eighth-grader Hannah Porter followed in 33rd place. Wrapping up the title were strong finishes by Ellie Watts, Caroline Turnbull, Hannah Keaney, and Paulina Sarnik.
The junior varsity girls represented Bromfield with a solid fourth-place finish. Sophomore Kim West came in fourth for the team, running the 5-kilometer race in a time of 22:04.45. Senior Kristina Kronauer was close behind in sixth place, crossing the line in 22:19.80. Sophomore Brittany Jones finished third for Bromfield in 17th place with a time of 23:19.67. Three seventh-grade junior varsity competitors, Julie Gormley, Shannon Barrett, and Sarah Brown, demonstrated their potential with strong finishes among runners as many as five years their senior.
The varsity team ran in the Championship Division beside runners representing seven East Coast states. Seniors Emily Jones, Jacqui Holmes, and Emily Reedich led the team with first, 55th, and 65th finishes, respectively. Mimi Narbonne, Kaite Keefe, Laura Nocka, and Harriet Hill rounded out the top seven.
“Competing in the championship race was a stretch for our team, given the injuries we have had to a couple of experienced varsity runners and the fact that the team we fielded was a little inexperienced at competing at this level,” said Dunn. “We could have competed and perhaps even won the ‘varsity level’ race, but we are a championship- level team.”
The Trojans will compete again in October at the Manhattan Invitational. There, runners will compete in age level races similar to those at the Ocean State.
