Rhode Island will not be hosting an invitational meet this weekend, but that doesn't mean our athletes won't be racing. La Salle Academy and Bishop Hendricken will be making the long trek to North Carolina for the Great American Cross-Country Festival, a meet that always attracts some of the best talent from the northeast region (and beyond). Last year the meet was cancelled due to a Tropical Storm. This year the forecast looks perfect for some fast times. The Rams will be sending their boys' and girls' squads to Great American. Keep an eye on DJ Principe in the Nike Race of Champions.Two years ago as a sophomore he placed seventh overall with a time of 15:30.9. On a more difficult course this past weekend at the Bowdoin X-C Classic in N.Y., he was timed in a course record of 15:23. The forecast on Saturday calls for sunny skies and the temperature in the 70s. Look for a potential sub 15-minute effort or at least a time close to 15 minutes for Principe, a clocking that should be enough for a victory.
Cumberland's boys and girls will be making their traditional trip up north for the Maine Festival of Champions. Burrillville will also compete in Belfast. According to the seed sheets, the Clippers will be without their No. 1 runner, Ben Drezek. Senior Ryan Mardo ranks No. 14 among 345 competitors. The Broncos' Jeff Pichie is right behind at No. 15. The Cumberland girls have two of their harriers in the top four slots with Julie Dempsey at No. 2 and Ana O'Callaghan at No. 4. Adah Anderson is the two seed in the Freshmen Girls' race. Check out an abundance of information provided by our Maine MileSplit (me.milesplit.com) site.
Finally, East Greenwich, Lincoln, Barrington, Coventry and the Prout girls are going to Vermont for the annual Woods Trail Run at Thetford Academy. In the 2015 event, the East Greenwich boys were second overall among 63 teams! This year's squad is even stronger so the potential is there for a team victory. The Avengers are coming off a fifth-place finish in the Division I race of the Bowdoin Classic.