Toolin joins elite company with 15:39 5K effort at Class A Championship

While La Salle Academy and Bishop Hendricken were battling it out for the team title in the Class A meet on Saturday, North Kingstown freshman Sam Toolin was making a little history.

Toolin finished third overall with an outstanding time of 15 minutes, 39 seconds. That clocking is not only the fastest ever by a ninth-grader from Rhode Island, but currently ranks him No. 7 among all freshmen nationwide. Right now the top distinction belongs to Colby Bergeron of Bellows Free Academy in Vermont, who ran 15:15.0 at the Enosburg Meet on Oct. 19. Toolin is actually the third best from New England. Last week at the Bob McIntyre Twlight Invitational in East Falmouth, Mass., Brookline's Lucas Aramburu was timed in 15:35.73.