The cross-country season will soon be here and once again we have a plethora of talented athletes that will traverse the courses this season. The early-prognosis - and from what we heard from several coaches over the last few month - is that East Greenwich and La Salle Academy are the favorites to win this year's boys' and girls' team titles at the State Meet, scheduled for Nov. 4 at Ponaganset. Who are the top athletes that we should keep our eyes on for individually supremacy? During the next few weeks, we'll let you know who we feel are the strongest contenders this fall.
Here's our latest...
Grace Connolly, La Salle Academy
La Salle lost two of its all-staters to graduation from last year's state championship team - Eliza Rego and Karina Taveres. But one of the key runners coming back that can help the Rams earn their fourth straight team title is this soon-to-be junior. Grace finished fourth at the State Meet in 2015, moving up one placement from her breakthrough freshman campaign while at Barrington. With times in the 4:50 range for 1,500 meters and low 10 minutes for 3K, Grace is a solid track runner, but her forte is on the wooded trails. Besides her top placement at the states last year, she was also third at the Class Meet and the third Ram to cross the line (16th overall) at the New England Championships, which the Rams won for the second straight year. She was also 20th at the Nike Cross Nationals Northeast Regionals, helping the Rams finish second overall as a team and earn their second consecutive trip to Seattle for the NXN Nationals. Grace's top time for the 5K distance is 18:32. With the progression she has had in cross country, she should be able to improve on that time substantially and earn another first-team all-state placement.
