There were several fine performances by our R.I. athletes this past weekend, but the one we felt simply stood out from the rest was the winning effort of DJ Principe at Saturday's Bowdoin X-C Classic. The La Salle Academy senior not only defended his title in the New York event, he smashed the course record by more than three seconds on a very difficult 5K layout.
Principe was timed in 15:23.3, breaking the 2012 mark of 15:27 by the host state's Nick Ryan of Fayetteville Manlius at the Nike Cross Nationals New York Regionals. Ryan was a two-time All American in cross country, highlighted by a fifth-place finish at the Nike Cross Nationals his junior year. According to Principe's dad, David Principe, DJ's final mile was unofficially 4:47!
Principe's performance at Bowdoin should further solidify his status as a national-title contender.
Honorable Mention: South Kingstown's Ellie Lawler, based on her victory at the Manchester Invitational.