By Michael Letendre
The Bristol Eastern girls cross country team came away a huge winner at the annual City Series meet from Rockwell Park on a brilliant Thursday afternoon.
Not only did the Lancers finally topple the program from Bristol Central, but a familiar face also took home the individual championship once again.
Eastern sophomore sensation Kaelyn Gonzalez won the race for the second year in a row as the Kingstreeters downed the Rams, 27-29, to seize a tremendous victory.
“It feels really good” to beat Central said Gonzalez. “We’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”
The Lancers also picked off St. Paul Catholic (23-36).
To complete the day, the Rams were able to top the pesky Falcons, 23-32.
“Last year, really didn’t have enough [girls] to score at many meets and we had a ton girls come out” this year said Eastern coach Paul Ryskowski. “And the culture that they have, how supportive they are of each other, it’s so great to see.”
Gonzalez, a winner last season on the course from St. Paul Catholic, followed it up with a stellar time of 22:51.5 to take first place once again.
“It felt really good,” said Gonzalez of the back-to-back wins. “I’m so proud of myself.”
This bout was an epic challenge with Central, doing a bit of pack running, had three of the first five runners in the race cross the finish line.
After Gonzalez, St. Paul Catholic’s Gretchen Radcliff (23:33) took second place off a very nice showing before third place was a bit of a surprise.
Central freshmen Emersyn Mazzei (23:58.7) was an impressive third place finisher while the wheelhouse for the squad – seniors Sophia Stark (24:13) and Katie Tran (24:21.5) – took fourth and fifth place, respectively, as the program was in good shape.
But four of the next five runners to complete the course came from Eastern to seal the meet as Central had a little bad luck.
“We felt going in, we looked pretty good, but I had one girl out hurt [Lynae Lewis] who would have been in my [top] four or five,” said Central coach Stafford-Kirk. “One of girls, Ruth Smith, was running really well and something happened in the woods.”
“It was close, it was a competitive race and that’s what we like to see.”
St. Paul Catholic’s Maddie Bielecki (sixth, 24:42.5) ran extremely well to keep the program from the Naugatuck Valley League hanging around.
It was all Eastern from there as the grouping of Kaydence Meyer (seventh, 25:34.9), veteran Lauren Ayotte (eighth, 25:40), Rita Gao (ninth, 26:19.7) and Calliope Gallagher (10th, 26:26) clinched it for the Kingstreeters.
“They really raced for each other today and I think it showed on the course,” said Ryskowski. “I’ve very proud of them.”
Rounding out the top-15 were Central’s Emma Cavallari (11th, 26:54), Eastern’s Grace Steck (12th, 27:05) and St. Paul Catholic’s Alexia Akier (13th, 27:27) along with the Rams’ Johannie Juarez (14th, 27:41) and the Falcons’ Charlotte Jennings (15th, 28:10.8).
Gonzalez took the lead early to begin the race and never relented, having about a 50-yard advantage over Radcliff when the duo crossed the bridge to enter the park for the first time.
Central was pack running with its freshmen standout and senior duo in tow while Bielecki was in eye-shot of the trio from BCHS.
The Meyer/Ayotte/Gao crew wasn’t far behind as the tone of the race was set.
The formation kept pace when re-entering the park from the far bridge and into the hillier terrain.
And the second time by the park bridge entrance, Gonzalez had pulled away and it became just a matter of when she crossed the finish line.
Gonzalez ended the event in 22:51.5 while Radcliff, who also gave it her all, was a little over forty seconds behind to earn the runner-up medal.
But the race was all over when Eastern’s four-pack of athletes took positions 7-10 as the Lancers were narrow two-point victors over their crosstown rival.
“I hate losing but I like to see competition,” said Stafford-Kirk. “I’d much rather have a race like today where we’re pushed by Bristol Eastern and St. Paul then a race where we blew everybody away. I think it says a lot about cross country in town that the races were so competitive. I’m really happy about that”
Girls 2023 City Series Cross Country – Thursday, October 12
BRISTOL EASTERN 27, BRISTOL CENTRAL 29
BRISTOL EASTERN 23, ST. PAUL CATHOLIC 36
BRISTOL CENTRAL 23, ST. PAUL CATHOLIC 32
from Rockwell Park – 3.1 Miles
Individual Results – Top 20
City Series Champion – Kaelyn Gonzalez (Bristol Eastern), 22:51
Runner-up – Gretchen Radcliff (St. Paul Catholic), 23:33
3. Emersyn Mazzei (Bristol Central), 23:58.7
4. Sophia Stark (Bristol Central), 24:13
5. Katie Tran (Bristol Central), 24:21.5
6. Maddie Bielecki (St. Paul Catholic), 24:42.5
7. Kaydence Meyer (Bristol Eastern), 25:34.9
8. Lauren Ayotte (Bristol Eastern), 25:40
9. Rita Gao (Bristol Eastern), 26:19.7
10. Calliope Gallagher (Bristol Eastern), 26:26
11. Emma Cavallari (Bristol Central), 26:54
12. Grace Steck (Bristol Eastern), 27:05
13. Alexia Akier (St. Paul Catholic), 27:27
14. Johannie Juarez (Bristol Central), 27:41
15. Charlotte Jennings (St. Paul Catholic), 28:10.8
16. Princess Priscilla Dilone (Bristol Eastern), 28.25.9
17. Brooklynne Whitlock (Bristol Eastern), 28:58
18. Amelia Jennings (St. Paul Catholic), 29:03
19. Ruth Smith (Bristol Central), 29:08.6
20. Isabel Bray (Bristol Eastern), 29:55
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