Parrish Places 15th at USCAA Championships

LEMONT FURNACE, Pa. – Ethan Parrish capped off a stellar season for Paul Smiths College Sunday at the USCAA Cross Country National Championships. Parrish placed 15th of 82 runners in the 8k men’s championship race. As the team’s second man, Parrish helped lead the Bobcats to a third-place finish among nine teams. His 8k time was 30:45.

USCAA is the United States Collegiate Athletic Association, an association of 80 small colleges. USCAA offers national championship competitions at a level below NCAA D-III.

Parrish, a freshman from Adamant, competed in cross country at Twinfield Union High School for three seasons. As a senior, he placed 13th at the 2022 D-III state meet. He notched a personal best high school 5k time of 18:35 at the 2022 NVAC Mountain Division Championships.

After graduating from Twinfield last spring, Parrish enrolled at Paul Smiths College, near Saranac Lake, N.Y. He is dual majoring in disaster management and forest management. Parrish’s mom, Lisa McCarthy, serves as principal at Woodbury Elementary and at Lakeview Elementary.

Paul Smiths College emphasizes building community through sports. The Bobcats cross country team kicked off its 2023 season in August at citizens road races in New York and Vermont. Parrish turned heads, on August 19, with a 35:31 second-place finish at the Olga Run 10k race in Saranac Lake. A week later, at the Vergennes Day 5k, he placed third in 18:41.

Parrish posted a personal best 5k time, on September 2, at the Cardinal Classic hosted by Plattsburgh State University. Finishing in 18:34, he placed 32nd of 61 competitors in the men’s race.

On September 30, Parrish competed at the Founding Tree Invitational, hosted by Hampshire College. The Bobcat men placed second of 10 teams. Competing in the 8k collegiate distance for the first time, Parrish paced at 5:50 per mile to finish seventh, in 29:06.

The Paul Smiths men’s and women’s teams returned to Hampshire College, on November 4, for the Yankee Small School Conference Championships. The Bobcats won first place as a team in both divisions. They qualified for the USCAA National Championships, on November 12, in Uniontown, Pa. Penn State – Fayette campus hosted the meet.

“The weather was partially cloudy, around 50 degrees, and the course was fairly dry with a few slippery spots,” said Parrish. “I knew that the course would be slow, so I took it out slow and kept a good pace while other people started dropping. I moved up into the top 20 until we hit a hill. I then passed a large group and took 15th place.”

During the winter, Parrish plans to compete in snowshoe races. His eye is on a podium spot at nationals and worlds. He is also keen on competing in free-ride ski competitions, with hopes to succeed in the competitive ski world.

Faster Course at Fallen Leaves

MONTPELIER – Seasonably cool conditions marked the second Fallen Leaves Series race on November 11. The event drew 51 runners to Montpelier High School for the out-and-back contest on the Montpelier Bike Path.

The usual 5k course was rerouted to avoid soggy spots on the athletic fields. The increased hard surfaces led to faster times than the previous week. Twenty athletes completed the mostly flat 5k in under 22 minutes.

Addie Hedges, from Montpelier, was the fastest finisher in the women’s division. She won the F20-29 age grouped and set a new personal best 5k time of 20:40. Dylan Broderick was the women’s runner-up. She won the F30-39 age group in 20:58.

Clare Salerno (21:10) finished third in the women’s division, seven seconds ahead of Rose Modry of Greensboro. Modry placed fourth for the women and won the F40-49 age group. Modry ran cross country at Middlebury College, graduating in 2001. Salerno competed in cross country and track and field for Wellesley College, graduating in 2018.

“It was a new course this time, with some turns around the Department of Labor,” said Modry. “I ran the whole race with Clare, which helped me keep a good pace.”

Ian McCallum-Cook blitzed the course in 16:18 to win the men’s division and the M30-39 age group. He competed in cross country and track and field for Grinnell College, in Iowa, graduating in 2012.

Maxfield English, from Wolcott, placed second in 17:33. The runner-up effort was English’s seventh top tier finish in as many weeks. The Hazen Union technology education teacher placed first in the competitive M40-49 age group. Damian Bolduc, from Craftsbury, placed fourth among M40-49 runners. His time was 20:29.

English is showing few signs of aging. On Saturday he equaled his previous best 5k time at Fallen Leaves, set on November 2, 2019. In a twist of fate, McCallum-Cook won the Fallen Leaves 5k race on that same day four years ago, in the speedy time of 15:52.

Eliot Robinson, a sophomore cross country runner at Mount Mansfield Union High School, placed third for the men at Saturday’s race, in 17:53. Robinson’s effort was a new personal best 5k time.

In addition to English and Modry, three more athletes from towns covered by the Gazette won their age groups. Jill Sudhoff Guerin (F50-59), from Marshfield, finished in 25:53. Adamant triathlete Donna Smyers (F60-69), crossed the line in 24:01. Mack Gardener-Morse (M60-69), from Calais, notched an age group win for the second consecutive week. His time was 22:39.

The Fallen Leaves Race Series concludes on November 18 at Montpelier High School. The race entry fee is $5. Day of Race registration is from 8:15 to 8:45 a.m. Start time is 9 a.m. For more information, visit cvrunners.org.

Calais Runners Excel at New England Championships

BELFAST, Me. – U-32 High School’s boys and girls cross country teams had strong finishes Saturday at the New England Cross Country Championships. The U-32 girls placed 17th of 29 teams representing Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. The U-32 boys placed 11th of 30 teams.

The Champlain Valley Union High School (Vermont) girls, with 97 points, raced away with the New England title. The Oyster River (New Hampshire) girls placed second with 130 points. The U-32 girls accumulated 432 points.

Amy Felice, Isobel Koger, and Elsie Koger, all from Calais, raced for the Raider girls. Felice, a senior, was the third U-32 finisher, behind Ginger Long (18:44) and Madison Beaudoin (20:00). Felice placed 148th in 20:50. Adamant sisters Isobel Koger (21:16) and Elsie Koger (21:18) placed 178th and 181st of 251 finishers.

Ruth White, from Orono, Me., reprised her 2021 and 2022 New England victories by winning the girls race in 17:12. Alice Kredell, from Champlain Valley UHS, was Vermont’s top finisher. She placed tenth, in 18:13.

Steven Hergenrother, from Ridgefield, Conn., won the boys race in 15:21. The Ridgefield boys won the team competition with 57 points. The Danbury Connecticut boys were second with 181 points.

Emmett Johnson, from St. Johnsbury Academy, was Vermont’s top finisher. He placed ninth, in 15:50. The Hilltopper boys placed first among Vermont teams and ninth overall, with 303 points. The U-32 boys (323 points) were the second Vermont team in the standings.

Cyrus Hansen, the Vermont D-II individual champion, led the U-32 boys with a 12^th place finish, in 15:53. Tennessee Lamb, from East Calais, was the seventh man on the Raider boys varsity team. Lamb placed 235th of 257 finishers. His time of 18:37 improved on his 19:12 finish at last year’s New England Championships.

Thornton-Sherman Places at NCAA Regional

BRONX, N.Y. ̶ University of Maine sophomore Evan Thornton-Sherman, from Waterford, capped off a stellar season Friday at the NCAA D-I Northeast Regional Cross Country Championships. The 10k course at Van Cortlandt Park was a step up from the 8k distance for the men’s regular season races. The regional field included 253 runners who qualified at conference championships.

Thornton-Sherman completed the 10k course in a new personal best time of 30:35. He improved 40 seconds from his 31:15 finish in 2022. Thornton-Sherman placed 51st in the talented field, up 26 places from last year. He was the second finisher for the University of Maine.

Luke Marsankis was the top Maine finisher in 32nd place. The Black Bear senior went the 10k distance in 30:19. The University of Maine men placed 15th among 37 NCAA D-I teams. Syracuse won the men’s division. The University of Vermont men placed 30th.

Turkey Trots on the Menu

GREENSBORO ‒ The annual Thanksgiving Day group run/walk/bike around Caspian Lake is Nov. 23, weather permitting. Interested participants of all ages are encouraged to meet at the ball field in Greensboro at 9 a.m. The Turkey Trot is recreational in purpose rather than a race. The 6.8-mile route around Caspian Lake offers rolling terrain and beautiful lake views. The loop begins on pavement and finishes with dirt roads. Participants are encouraged to bring a nonperishable food item for the Hardwick Area Food Pantry. For questions or more info, contact Victoria Hill at [email protected] or 802-472-6622.

MORRISVILLE ‒ Morristown Parks and Recreation is sponsoring a Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot, starting at 9 a.m., on Nov. 23. The 5k run/walk starts and finishes at Peoples Academy. Registration is $15 per person. Age group prizes will be awarded. Information and online registration are available at morristownvt.myrec.com.

WESTFORD ‒ The Town of Westford holds its annual Turkey Trot on Saturday, Nov. 18, at 10 a.m. The community event dates back to the 1990s. A 100-yard Tot Trot (ages 1-4) kicks off the day at 9:45 a.m. followed by the 3k and 10k races. Registration is $18 for the 3k or 10k race and $5 for the Tot Trot. A free raffle with donated prizes is held after the race. Day of race registration begins at 9 a.m. at the Westford School, 146 Brookside Road. Proceeds benefit community members in need. Details are available at runreg.com/westford-turkey-trot.

BARTON ‒ The 21st annual Barton Turkey Trot takes place on Thanksgiving morning at 9 a.m. The 5k race starts and finishes at the Barton Memorial building. Participants are automatically entered in a free gift raffle. Information is available at bartonpubliclibrary.org/turkey-trot/. Registration is $15 for entries received by November 20, or $20 the day of the race.