(South Kingstown freshman Ellie Lawler crossing the line in fourth at the NXN Northeast Regionals on Saturday.)
It's time to start booking some flights out west.
At the two major regional cross-country competitions on Saturday, Rhode Island athletes made their presence known in a big way
The La Salle Academy boys captured the Nike Cross Nationals Northeast Championship, handily defeating pre-race favorite Christian Brothers Academy of New Jersey, 63-102. Less than 21 seconds seperated the Rams' top five runners, D.J. Principe, Matt Bouthillette, Jack Salisbury, Jake Grundy and Dan Paiva, whose times ranged from 16:17.70 to 16:38.60. In the girls' race, South Kingstown freshman Ellie Lawler continued her late-season surge by finishing a spectacular fourth overall in 18:44.10. With their respective placements, La Salle and Lawler earned berths to the national meet next Saturday in Portland, Oregon.
The La Salle girls suffered a few mishaps in their race when two of their runners slipped on the snow-covered course at New York's Bowdoin Park. The Lady Rams still finished a respectable third overall with 149 points, just 14 points behind runner-up Coe Brown of New Hampshire. Pennsylvania's Unionville won the team title with 80 points. The top two teams earn a berth to the nationals, but La Salle does have a chance to take one of the four at-large bids and will find out either tonight or tomorrow.
Hendricken and La Salle's JV boys' teams placed 2-3 in the NXN Open race.
(Barrington's Emma McMillan on the heals of Staples standout Hannah DeBalsi during the final few meters of the girls' race at the Foot Locker NE Regionals)
The Nike regionals wasn't he only meet that R.I. athletes shined. Three-time state champion Emma McMillan placed an outstanding third overall at the Foot Locker Northeast Regionals at New York's Van Cortlandt Park. Pennsylvania's Brianna Schwartz of Shaler Area broke the tape with a time of 17:35.20. McMillan was just .70 behind last year's Footlocker runner-up, Hannah DeBalsi of Staples. The Connecticut runner was second at 17:50.50, while McMillan was timed in 17:51.20.
With her top finish, McMillan qualified for the Foot Locker Nationals at Balboa Park in San Diego on Dec. 13.