Defending Champions Come Up Big In EMass
By Joe Reardon

Just past the 2-mile mark, before taking the sharp left into "The Wilderness" section of Franklin Park’s 3.1-mile course, Brookline’s Rob Gibson yelled for a teammate to move up to the front of the pack.

Gibson, who surged over the final 600 yards to win the Div. 1 Eastern Mass. title with a time of 15:39, said it was his job to keep the Warriors’ pack together.

"I was supposed to be pacing them through the woods," said Gibson, who also led Brookline to the team title. "I tried to keep everyone in check. Once I got to the field, I took off."

The Warriors didn’t just win the Div. 1 race - they dominated. Brookline placed four runners in the top 10 for a scant 36 points that put them well ahead of Lincoln-Sudbury (165), Newton South (168), Xaverian (198) and St. John’s Prep (208). The top-five teams move on to next Saturday’s state meet in Gardner.

"It was expected we’d do well," said Brookline coach Mike Glennon. "We’re getting much tighter as a group. We were running as a pack today. We wanted to get the job done and move on."

Behind Gibson, teammate David Wilson took second in 15:51 and was followed by Medford’s Philip Galebach, who finished in 15:55.
Gloucester’s Liam Murphy took the advice of his older brother and 2001 winner, Sean, to capture the Div. 2 race in 16:13.

"He told me to stay relaxed and go with the flow," said Murphy. "I was pretty relaxed. I wanted to sit back and let them do the work and see what I had at the end."

Murphy blew past runner-up Peter Gilmore of Whitman-Hanson (16:19) just before the Playstead loop. Dracut’s Dan Roark was third at 16:22. "I just went for it," Murphy said of his surge from 600 yards out.

Murphy’s race was a stark contrast to last year’s event when he had an off day and placed 108th. "I had such a horrible race last year," he said. "Today I felt great."

Like Brookline in Div. 1, Whitman-Hanson (66 points) dominated the Div. 2 team competition, easily defeating defending champion Mansfield (140). Travis Wright was the second Panther runner behind Gilmore, taking fourth in 16:25. Kevin Gilmore was 13th (16:34) and Pat Taft also finished in the top 20 with his 16:37, 16th-place finish.

Pentucket’s Eric McDonald left no doubt in the Div. 3 race. The defending champion ripped through the first mile in 4:47, taking an 11-second lead over runner-up Mike Moverman of Oliver Ames. By the time he passed two miles (10:08), McDonald had increased his lead to 14 seconds and the outcome was all but decided. He cruised from there, crossing the finish line in a controlled 16:00.

"I really wanted to go low 15s but it was cold and it takes it out of your legs," said McDonald. "Bear Cage Hill really helped me and I pounded it through The Wilderness to hold my lead."
Moverman clocked a 16:27 and Drew Clark of Hopkinton took third in 16:42. Wellesley’s Nick Carroll’s 16:48 earned him the fourth-place medal and Hingham’s top harrier, Drew Morrissey, rounded out the top five with a 16:52.

Bishop Feehan came away with the team title with 85 points with John Cook leading the Shamrocks in seventh at 16:59. Bishop Feehan had two other runners in the top 20 as Nate Bowditch (15th, 17:13), Bobby McShane (17th, 17:14) paced the Shamrocks. Justin Barnes finished a strong 21st for the Shamrocks (17:24) while Dave Phipps was 25th in 17:26, a mere 27 seconds behind Clark.

McDonald, who finished third in last year’s Div. 2 state meet, believes defending champion Gabe Pacione of Hamilton-Wenham is the runner to beat again this time around. "I’m looking forward to go after him," McDonald said. "It’s going to be tough.

"I really liked Northfield. It’s one of my favorite courses. I’ve never raced on Gardner. It’s pretty fast so I’m looking to really pound it."

Moverman, who was third in last year’s Div. 2 state title race, knew he’d be in for a tough race against McDonald and that he’d be aggressive from the start. "I knew he was going to go out fast," said Moverman. "Coming down Bear Cage Hill I tried to make a move but he responded. He’s a great runner."

Pacione was less than 100 percent for the Div. 4 race, courtesy of a virus that forced him to the sidelines for the four days prior to the meet. Once the gun went off, however, he was in total control. Pacione and Bedford’s Jonathan Gault passed the mile together in 4:58 and pulled away on the downside of Bear Cage Hill to defend his title. Pacione crossed the finish line in 16:22, 14 seconds ahead of Gault.

"I was a little concerned (about the virus) but I had a real good season of training," said Pacione. "I flew down the hill to keep the lead and I wanted to extend it."

Bear Cage Hill proved to be the deal breaker for Pacione. "I flew down the hill to get the lead and I wanted to grow on that," he said.

Pacione, who ran away from the field in last year’s Div. 2 state meet at Northfield Mountain, expects an entirely different race this year on the flat Gardner layout. He believes McDonald and his finishing speed will present the biggest challenge.

"They’re probably the most opposite courses you can run," said Pacione. "It’s going to be a fast race this year. I really don’t want to be coming into the stretch with him on my tale."
Pacione led Hamilton-Wenham to the team title with 91 points to edge defending champion Swampscott (107 points). Hanover took third (156 points), followed by Pembroke (174 points) and Seekonk (205).
Both Hamilton-Wenham in Div. 4 and Whitman-Hanson in Div. 2 swept the boys and girls titles.
The Generals’ Emily Lanois captured her third consecutive Div. 4 title, pulling out to a 50-yard lead over runner-up Elizabeth Short of North Reading for the 18:56 win. Short finished in 19:17. Swampscott’s Lindsay Walsh was third with a 19:20 and Kelly Egan of Marian clinched fourth with her 19:50. Lanois’ teammate, Cyrena Shiland was a strong fifth in 20:03.
Hamilton-Wenham’s 75 points were well ahead of Newburyport (111 points) and third-place North Reading (159 points).
Short didn’t yield any room to Lanois through the mile as they passed through, shoulder-to-shoulder in 5:38, 15 yards in front of Walsh. Lanois opened a 10-yard lead over Walsh just before two miles and had complete control of the race by the time she reached The Playstead with 600 yards remaining.

"My goal was to win," said Lanois. "It was cold the whole time. I took off with a mile to go. I didn’t want to lose. It feels good. It’s exciting."

Lanois, who was one of three Cape Ann League winners on the day, along with Keely Maguire of Triton (Div. 3) North Andover’s Kristen Kasper (Div. 2), is looking to at least duplicate her fourth-place finish in last year’s Div. 2 state title race.

Maguire, fresh off a win over Bromfield’s Emily Jones in the Brown Invitational, tore through the first mile in 5:20 and two in 11:19, en route to a 17:39 and her third Div. 3 win. Oliver Ames’ Jenna Davidner was a strong second in 18:07.

Maguire used the race as a stepping stone on the way to the state championships and, hopefully, a top-10 finish at the Foot Locker Northeast Regional Championships in New York City’s Van Cortlandt Park on Nov. 24. "It’s what I’ve been training for," said Maguire. "I’m not surprised. Right now I’m training for Foot Locker.

"I have more confidence because I’m in much better shape than last year."

Davidner hoped to run faster, but the cold wind, stiffened her legs. The Oliver Ames standout had nothing but praise for Maguire after the race. "I know she’s amazing," said Davidner. "I wanted to stay as close to her as I could. I wanted to go under 18 (minutes) but I stiffened up.
"If I try hard to beat her I may be with her for a mile and a half but it would hurt my race."
Hingham’s Shauna McNiff ran a strong for third in 18:41, followed by Pentucket’s Alanna Poretta (18:48) and Oliver Ames’ Jessica Pickett (18:55).

Bishop Feehan’s 84 points was good enough to defeat runner-up Oliver Ames (101 points) and third-place Wellesley (110 points).

Kasper made her return to the EMass championships memorable after winning the Div. 2 title as a freshman. The junior, who went on to win the Div. 1 state title in 2005, had a hip injury last fall and bypassed the cross country season for the swim team.

Kasper looked to be in top form on Saturday. After passing th mile in 5:28 she began to pull away from the pack and crossed the finish line in 18:07. Natick’s Rebecca White was second in 18:43 and Abbey D’Agostino of Masconomet took third in 18:50.

"I went out and ran my race," said Kasper. "The conditions were fine. It was a little cold at the start but once you got going you warmed up.
"I’m glad to be back. I love it."

Whitman-Hanson’s Jill Alves’ sixth-place finish (19:22) fueled the Panthers to a narrow win over Beverly, 110 to 118. Masconomet finished third with 153 points.
The Newton South duo of Kelsey Karys and Madeleine Reed finished 1-2 in 18:32 and 18:37, pacing the Tigers to the team title with 43 points. Hannah Westbrook (11th, 19:25) and Juliet Ryan-Davis (12th, 19:25), surged across the finish line together to give Newton South an impressive four runners in the top 15. Lincoln-Sudbury was second with 55 points and Haverhill’s 88 points was good for third.