WARWICK, R.I. – Robert Allen ran across the finish line and never stopped. The senior from Cranston West High continued to run through the finishing chute until greeting a group of well-wishers at the end.
If all goes as planned, Allen is hoping he doesn’t stop his recent string of impressive victories.
In a back-and-forth battle with Bishop Hendricken senior Ryan Meehan in the late stages of the Class A Championship on Saturday afternoon, Allen put in one final surge the last 100 meters to overtake Meehan and claim the individual title with a time of 15 minutes, 48.98 seconds. The fast-closing Meehan was a few strides behind in second at 15:50.06. (Photo, left, by Rick McCulloch)
“My whole technique was for the first two miles to relax,” Allen said. “Every race, even up to now, I always take the first mile out hard. It gives me a good distance, but what’s good being first in the first mile and then losing in the second and third mile. I said, ‘Let me try something different.’ So I took the first mile relaxed. The second mile I picked it up a little more. The third mile I just kicked it in.”
Under ideal conditions for racing at Ponaganset High, Allen posted the fastest time in the three R.I. class meets taking place in the boys’ competition. Defending state champion Molly Keating of La Salle Academy was the quickest among the trio of girls’ meets. The gifted junior led from the opening gun to claim the Class A title with an 18:33.74 clocking. She was more than 26 seconds in front of Aisha McAdams, a sophomore from North Kingstown. McAdams was timed in 18:59.97.
Allen’s strong performance comes just nine days after breaking Andrew Springer’s record at the Bronco Invitational where he posted a time of 15:27.79, nearly four seconds under the former Westerly All-American's mark set two years ago.
Allen is looking to better another record when he toes the line at this Sunday’s state championship, also on Ponaganset’s challenging five-kilometer course.
“My goal for the states is to break Springer’s record,” said Allen, making reference to the 15:14.05 effort that Springer ran to capture the 2008 state championship. “That’s my goal for next Sunday.”
Allen was nestled in third behind Meehan and La Salle senior Zach Fraielli for much of Saturday’s race. Meehan, a fifth-place finisher in the Eastern State Championship of the prestigious Manhattan Invitational earlier this month, and Allen broke from Fraielli just past two miles. Coming down the final decline on the course with about a 1,000 meters remaining, Allen passed Meehan but it wouldn’t be the last time the two runners traded places.
“When I went down the hill, I said I am just going to glide down, open my stride and let the hill pull me down,” Allen said. “After that, I let him lead a little bit to take the wind because it was very windy. I just focused from there, all the way to the finish line.”
The top 21 finishers in the Class A race cracked 17 minutes. Smithfield High senior Liam Hillery won the Class C division in 16:27.06 and North Providence senior Alex Gallo was the Class B titlist with his winning time of 16:39.10. Both runners led from gun-to-wire.
In the team competition, defending state champion Bishop Hendricken, which captured last year’s Nike Cross-Country National Northeast Regional, won its 26th tile in Class A. South Kingstown took home the plaque in Class B and Smithfield copped its second straight championship in Class C. (Photo, below, by Rick McCulloch)
Keating, who ran a solid 18:42.7 clocking at the Great American in N.C., at the beginning of the month, was never seriously challenged in her race. She was just over 5:30 at the mile mark.
“The first mile I was trying to stay with my team. I was trying to stay as close as possible,” said Keating, who, along with her teammates, captured the Class A team tile for the defending state champions. “The second and third mile I was more settled and I took it out as fast as I could.”
The final two-thirds of the race turned out to be Keating’s own personal time trial as she was far ahead of the field.
“I was just in the zone,” she said. “I had no idea what was happening. I was just out to see what I could do.”
Next weekend, Keating and the Rams will aim for their fourth consecutive state title. In Saturday’s class meet, La Salle beat second-place North Kingstown, 25-55.
Besides N.K, the Rams should face stiff competition from Class B champion Barrington, a 23-59 victor over runner-up South Kingstown. East Greenwich claimed the Class C title.
“I feel pressure (to win),” Keating admitted. “I think the team feels pressure. We just tell each other to forget about it and pretend like we are going for (a state title) without defending a crown.”
Barrington senior Molly Malinowski held off freshman teammate Abigail Livingston to win individual honors in Class B. Malinowski was timed in 19:24.59 while Livingston crossed the line at 19:26.09. In her first year of cross country, middle distance star Jaimee Dorsey, a junior from East Greenwich, was the recipient of the Class C crown with her time of 20:26.15.