Sports Reporter
BELFAST – The boys race featured 47 teams and nearly 570 individual competitors for three separate events (freshman race, unseeded race and seeded race), and the girls race had 36 teams and close to 440 runners.
The Festival of Champions cross country event in Belfast Saturday was indeed the largest any of the local teams will compete in this season, and Presque Isle proved it is ready for the championship portion of their schedule.
The Wildcat girls continued their mid-season surge with an impressive placement of 13th in the girls meet.
“I thought they did very well, especially with the conditions,” said PI coach Lori Googins, noting the rain that started just as the races were to begin. “We were fifth among Eastern Maine schools, so it gives us an indication of where we are at this point of the season.”
Alecia Palmer finished just out of the top 10. The PI junior was 11th in 19:57.4 in a brilliant performance. Elizabeth Wright was 52nd in 21:33.1 and Jaylee Fox 97th in 22:16.1 to complement Palmer’s effort. Jerica Fox was 113th (22:29.3) and Emily Wright 123rd (22:35.7) to account for the scoring for the Wildcats.
For the Presque Isle boys, which came in 22nd as a team, Chris Cawley was 81st in 18:20, Logan Thibeau 85th in 18:21 and Matt Eager 101st in 18:30.5 to lead the way.
Scarborough edged J.H. Gillis of Canada for the team victory in the boys’ race, with Edward Little of Auburn taking third place. Cheverus of Portland was the girls’ team champion, followed by John Bapst and Gorham. The individual winners were Will Geoghegan of Brunswick in 15:33 and Emily Durgin of Cheverus in 18:34.2.
The next meet is the Aroostook League All-Star competition in Limestone Friday at 3:30 p.m.
The PVC championships are Oct. 17, the Eastern Maine regionals are Oct. 24, back in Belfast, and the state meet is Oct. 31 in Cumberland.
Contributed photo/Laurie Sheehan
ALECIA PALMER of the Presque Isle Wildcats cross country team ran to an 11th-place finish out of approximately 440 runners at Saturday’s Festival of Champions, held in Belfast. Palmer’s time on the 3.1-mile course was 19:57.4. The PI girls finished 13th as a team in the event.
