CRAFTSBURY – Local runners from Craftsbury Academy (CA), Hazen Union, and Danville posted strong finishes last week in the NVAC Championships at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center as they ready for the high school cross-country state championships later this month.
In what has been a theme all season long, underclassmen led the way again over the weekend starting with the boy’s 5,000m and Danville freshman Landon Garrand’s (18:29.20) sixth overall finish in Craftsbury. Freshman Oakley Crawford paced the Chargers with a top ten overall finish and seventh in the division in a personal best time of 18:50.40. Hazen sophomore Kaiah Cloutier continued his strong season with a time of 20:37.10, good enough for twelfth in Division III. CA freshman James Reynolds posted a fourteenth place finish in the division with a time of 21:03.20. Stowe dominated, with junior Nico Delena besting the entire field in a blazing time of 17:07.50, followed by freshman teammate Paul Slesar, 41 seconds behind.
On the girl’s side, Craftsbury freshman Aemilia Terrone continued to impress with a top ten overall finish (5th in division), crossing the finish line at 23:13.20. Freshman teammate Eliza Bunten ran her best time of the season (26:27.70), good enough for a twelfth-place finish in the division. Hazen sophomore Ersa Goldenrose posted a sixteenth-place finish in the division with a time of 27:09.10. Peoples Academy multi-sport star Daisy Berg dusted the entire field with a time 20:37.70. Junior Hailey Porter earned a runner-up finish for Lamoille with a time of 21:26.30.
Charger head coach Maxfield English continues to make significant strides in rebuilding the program in his second year of taking the reins from four-time Division III state champion coach Mike LeVangie.
“I was really impressed with the team’s performance Saturday. Having Aemilia and Oakley earn top ten spots as 9th graders was a feat. We also had five other runners post personal records, which means most everyone is getting faster. I feel the collective strength of the team and their hard work is peaking at the right time and I’m looking forward to seeing them shine at Thetford,” said English.
Teams will get an extra week of recovery and prep before traveling to Thetford Academy on October 25 for the State Championships.
