Swampscott XC Defeats Salem

The Big Blue cross-country teams both defeated the Salem Witches this week, racing on a beautiful day at Winter Island in Salem on Tuesday. The wins move the girls' team record to 2-2 (1-1 NEC Small) while the boys remain undefeated at 4-0 (2-0 NEC Small). 

The Big Blue used this meet as an opportunity to practice working together in small groups over the 2.95 mile race course. The Big Blue Girls kicked things off, and the varsity runners settled into a tempo effort over the course, running controlled during the race. Senior captain Sarah Kelley (1st, 23:25) and junior Alyssa Mauriello (2nd, 23:25) finished together for Swampscott. Junior Isabella Kornitsky (3rd, 23:25), sophomore Viven Gere (4th, 23:42), freshman Veronica Rizzo (5th, 23:44) were not far behind. Rounding out the top seven for Swampscott and helping displace Salem's top runners were senior captain Michelle Laconte (6th, 24:15) and freshman Charlotte Westhoven (7th, 24:19).

When asked about the race, senior captain Michelle Laconte noted, "We've been running as a pack and improving each week." Her co-captain, Sarah Kelley, agreed. "We're ready for the Frank Kelley Invitational this weekend," Kelley remarked.

In a similar fashion to the girls, the Big Blue Boys entered the meet with the goal of working together to move up throughout the race. The varsity boys took off quickly at the start before settling into a tempo effort, led by senior captain Matt Mahoney. Mahoney, who would set a course record on the month-old course, came through in first place with a time of 17:43 over the 2.95 mile course. Junior Bennett Smith (2nd, 19:06) senior captain Marco Scibelli (3rd, 19:16), senior captain Noah Conti (4th, 19:31), and junior Robert McLaughlin (5th, 19:47) finished with a tight spread behind Mahoney. Emery Green (7th, 20:18) and Coleman Pinkerton (10th, 21:36) rounded out rhe varsity scoring for the Big Blue.

At this point in the season, both teams are starting to gel. "The team has been very welcoming to newcomers, including freshmen and sophomores," remarked sophomore Ian Conaty, who ran track last spring but is out for cross-country for the first time. The Big Blue now enters a more difficult portion of their schedule, and the team is excited for the challenges ahead.

The Big Blue race next at the Frank Kelley Invitational at the Wrentham Development Center in Wrentham, Massachusetts on Saturday.