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Wickham Park has once again played host to the New England Championships, and on the men's side, the story played similar to 2019.
Individually, La Salle's Marshall Vernon looked to equal or better the finish of Jack McLoughlin of La Salle when he placed 3rd. Also in the running, no pun intended, was Sean Gray of Portsmouth who looked for revenge after runner-up honors the previous weekend.
The other favored athletes included Dissa Soheib of Newton, Connecticut; the champion of CIAC the week prior with a course advantage. The three previously mentioned runners were the three that broke away early with Gray leading the charge.
At about 4k, Dissa made a huge move that broke open the race.
Vernon reconnected by the final stretch while Gray dropped simultaneously. Vernon came within a stride to catch Dissa but came up short. Dissa won in 15:13 while Vernon was 15:14. Gray finished 3rd in 15:24 with all three running above 191 speed ratings.
Dissa ran the 3rd best time in history on the course while Vernon's was 6th.
Other top Rhode Islanders include Sophomore Colby Flynn in 8th from Hendricken, and Cole Francis of Narragansett in 18th to claim All-New England honors. Vernon and Gray are the top two returners next year while Gray is 4th meaning Rhode Island will have another great showing when the race moves to Thetford, Vermont.
In the team battle, Hendricken took third with 196 points behind Ridgefield, Connecticut with 63 points, and East Lyme, Connecticut with 161 points.
Boys Top 10 Team Scoring
On the girl's side, freshman Ceceila Ludwig of Cumberland was the top finisher, and there was no rematch from RIIL State Championships without Pilgrim's Keaney Bayha.
The 22nd place finish of 18:51 gave her New England honors while Abbie Tighe and Lucy Stowe of North Kingstown finished 28th and 34th with times in the low 19's.
Between them was Portsmouth's Allie Kaull who took 29th in 19:07.
In the team battle, Cumberland had 124 points to take runner-up honors with only Champlain Valley Union beating them taking 100 points even.
Next, NXR Northeast in Wappinger Falls, New York will host Nike Cross Regionals, NXR, while Footlocker Regionals will once again be run at Van Cortlandt Park down the Hudson River.
Girls Top 10 Team Scoring
