Performer of the Week: Ben Drezek, Cumberland

Ben Drezek was sixth at last year's State Meet and is one of our top returnees this fall.

With his performances of late, the Cumberland High senior appears to be right on track to improving on his 2015 placement and battling with the best up front at next month's championship meet.

On Saturday, Drezek clocked a personal best time of 15:29.93 to finish sixth overall in the Championship race of the Brown Invitational. That effort moved the Clipper standout to No. 2 in the state rankings and is 11 seconds faster than what he ran at last year's event, held on a generous five-kilometer layout at Goddard Memorial State Park. Just a week earlier, Drezek posted the fastest time among all R.I. entries at the Manhattan Invitational in New York.

Honorable Mention: South Kingstown's Ellie Lawler for her sixth-place finish in the girls' Championship race at the Brown Invitational.