FIRST TEAM ALL-STATE
1) Jenna Riley, SR, Coventry High School. She came out of no where to become the most dominant XC runner in the state this fall. She won the State Championship at Ponaganset High School with a time of 18:38.44. That was a huge improvement from last year when she ran the same course in 20:24 and finished 24th. In the New England XC Championship, Jenna was the top RI finisher completing the brutal course at Manchester's Derryfield Park in 18:58.6. She was 15th overall and the only Rhode Islander to make All-New England. In the FootLocker Regional Championships at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, she was 30th with a time of 18:59. Riley plans to continue her running career at Boston University, Northeastern or the University of Rhode Island.
2) Allison Stasiuk, SR, North Kingstown. Very solid performer over the course of four years and a first-team All-Stater the past three years. As a freshman, she was 2nd team all-state. In last month's State Championship, she ran the race of her life, posting an 18:40.63, just two seconds behind Riley. Allie was a key member of the 2006 State Championship team, arguably the greatest girls team in Rhode Island history. A member of the National Honor Society, she is considering Brown, Boston College and the University of Connecticut.
3) Emily Siskind JR, Barrington. A former soccer player, Siskind decided to jump to cross country after she had a standout season in track last spring and finished 3rd in the state in the 1500 meters with a time of 4:54. She immediately made her mark this fall winning, or coming in second place in most dual meets. She also finished 2nd in one of the races at the Manhattan Invitational in Van Cortlandt Park posting a 15:19 on the 4K course. At the State Championship, she ran an 18:44.70, just four seconds behind Stasiuk, the second place finisher. Emily's time was the fastest posted in the history of Barrington High School. In the New England Championship, she finished 30th with a time of 19:26.9.
4) Jean Christensen, SR. LaSalle. Wrapped up a tremendous four-year career by leading LaSalle Academy to its second-straight State Championship.She finished 4th and recorded a season-best time of 18:59. One of the tallest distance runners in New England, she is always recognizable in a pack of runners. As a sophomore, she was crowned the State Champion at Ponaganset High School, edging teammate Jeanne Mack, now running at Harvard. Jean is looking to run at Princeton, Georgetown, Villanova or Vermont.
5) Erin Carmone, SR, East Providence. Another former soccer player who switched to cross country as a senior. She immediately established herself on Sept. 3, by winning one of the Injury Fund Races at Goddard Park in Warwick in 20:07. During the course of the season, she continued to impress and she ran a season's best of 19:06 in the State Championship, good enough for 5th place.
6) Arianna Colella, JR, Cranston West. This year marks the second-straight season that she is named 1st Team All-State. She showed steady improvement over the course of the season and peaked at Ponaganset with a 7th place finish, in 19:07. The next weekend, she ran an impressive 19:19.7 at the New England Championships. She was 28th overall, and the second Rhode Islander finisher behind Riley. Last spring, she placed 6th in the 800 at the State Meet at Brown with a time of 2:22.
7) Samantha Chace, SO, Toll Gate: The youngest runner to make 1st-Team All-State this fall. She followed up a strong freshman season in outdoor track with a great season in cross country. Small and compact, Samantha steadily improved over the course of the season culminating in her 7th place finish, 19:26, in the State Championship. A week earlier, she finished 2nd to Emily Siskind in the Class B Championships. Last spring, she finished 2nd in the Freshman State Meet, running a 4:59.5 for 1500 meters.
SECOND-TEAM ALL-STATE:
1) Emily Papazian, FR, LaSalle. Breakout season for the dark-haired girl from Lincoln. She was the first freshman to cross the finish line in the State Championships with a time of 19:36, good for 8th place. The next weekend, she ran a 19:45 and finished 47th in the New England Championships in New Hampshire. Earlier in the fall, she won the Frosh ``D'' Championship at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, traversing the 1.5 mile course in 9:43. She also won the 2.4 mile Freshman State Championship, posting a time of 15:19, more than 30 seconds ahead of the second place inisher. She concluded her season as the first RI finisher at the Nike Cross Country Regional Championships in Bowdoin Park with 30th place finish and time of 20:18.
2) Nastasja Rittling, SO, Cumberland. Another of the state's good young runners. She ran a 19:42 in the State Championship and finished 9th overall. She had a very strong freshman cross country and track season. Known for her speed, Tasi, as she is known, was the Freshman State Champion in the 800, posting a time of 2:22.7.
3) Sarah Barry, JR, Barrington. Sarah established herself as a force on the track as a freshman, She was 2nd in the state in the 800, running a blazing 2:17. She was saddled with a series of injuries as a sophomore, but returned this fall to have a strong debut in cross country. Her season, which showed steady improvement and culminated in her season's best of 19:44 in the State Championship. She finished 10th overall.
4) Molly Malinowski, SO, Barrington. Big season for the long-legged sophomore who also made first-team Class B and Metropolitan Division for the second-straight year. She emerged as the #2 runner on a young Barrington team that was ranked #1 in the state for most of the season. She ran a personal best in the State Championship with a time of 19:49, good for 11th place. She followed up that performance with a 64th place finish, 19:59, at the New Englands in New Hampshire; and a 46th place finish, 20:43, at the Nike Team Cross Country Regionals in New York. Last spring, Molly was the Freshman State Champion in the 3,000 meters.
5) Molly Keating, FR, LaSalle. Another outstanding freshman for the State Champions. She moved up late in the season and joined the Varsity after several eye-catching performances in freshman races. In the Manhattan Invitational race that her teammate, Emily Papazian won, Molly was 5th with a time of 10:15. In the RI Freshman State Championships, she ran the 2.4 mile course in 16:04 and finished third.
6) Therese Kerin, SR. East Greenwich. Strong season for the senior from East Greenwich. She was one of several seniors who led East Greenwich to another Class C Championships. She saved her best performance for the State Championships where she ran a 19:55 and finished 13th overall. That was a huge improvement from her junior season when she finished 69th with a time of 22:03. Her college plans are unclear.
7) Victoria Lima, SR, Westerly. A steady cross counry and track performer for the storied Westerly High School program. For the second straight year, she made 2nd team All-State for her 19:58 performance at the State Championships. Last year, Lima was 12th with a time of 20:01. Also quick on the track, she finished 5th in the State Track Championships at Brown University last spring in the 800 meters. She posted a time of 2:20.
Note: Top 7 girls in the State Championship are first team, while the next 7 are 2nd team.