Titans in line for continued success

William Geoghegan and Kevin Pomeroy
Posted 9/25/14

The Toll Gate girls have qualified for the state meet every year since 2001. This year, the Titans are in a new division that’s a little more top-heavy and they don’t have quite as much …

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Titans in line for continued success

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The Toll Gate girls have qualified for the state meet every year since 2001. This year, the Titans are in a new division that’s a little more top-heavy and they don’t have quite as much experienced depth as last year, but they’re running on the same path as always.

States are the goal.

“We have a pretty good team,” said head coach Jon Deming. “We have a solid top two coming back with Erika Pena and Jess Cawley, and we’ve got some other girls returning. We also picked up a couple of good freshmen. We should be right there.”

Pena and Cawley give the Titans a pair of mainstays at the top. Pena, a standout since her freshman year, won the Class B championship last year and finished 32nd at the state meet, tops among Warwick girls.

In Monday’s meet with South Kingstown, Middletown and Narragansett, Pena finished third overall after completing the three-mile course in 19 minutes, 49 seconds. That would put her time in the usual 5K just over 20 minutes, which is the pace she finished at last year.

“Right now, I think she’s running ahead of what she did last year,” Deming said. “Based on what she did today, she’d probably be in the low-20’s for the 5K. I think breaking 20 would be a good goal for the state meet. It’ll be a tough race because there are a lot of new girls who are very good. Placing-wise, we’re not sure. But we’re shooting for a time more than a place.”

Cawley has also been one of the Titans’ top runners for several years. She finished 67th at the state meet last season in 21:40.28. On Monday, she finished 13th in 20:54.

Sophomore Lian Smithers has been running third for the Titans. Senior Abby Tillotson, freshman Sophia Maynard and freshman Madison Janysek checked in next. Senior Debbie Jessop and junior Christina Abramson, who were both in the top seven last year, are also in the fold.

“Debbie Jessop and Christina Abramson were in our top group last year,” Deming said. “They start off slow but they finish well. They kind of do that every year.”

Freshman Grace Reed was also in the mix in Monday’s meet, along with sophomore Hannah Senerchia, senior Melissa Monti and junior Rachel Euell.

The Titans, who are now in the Southern Division after a long tenure in the Central, lost to powerhouse South Kingstown on Monday but beat Narragansett and Middletown to improve to 2-3 in dual meets.

They have just one more dual meet remaining before hitting the postseason. They’ll have their sights set on the class championships, where they’ll get a shot at another state meet berth.

“It’s a little tougher for the girls – SK, Chariho, Westerly are strong,” Deming said. “Not that the Central Division wasn’t, but the competition is different. I think our goal will be to get to the state meet through the class championship.”

’Canes hoping for good year

Warwick Vets didn’t have its best day in Monday’s dual meet at City Park, but the Hurricanes did pick up their first victory of the season.

They’re making headway.

“We didn’t run that well today, I don’t feel, but this could be one of our better teams in a while,” said coach Scott Bayha. “We’ve got some very good athletes who are really improving.”

It’ll remain an uphill battle for the ’Canes, especially against top teams, but they’ll focus on that improvement. If times drop and depth develops, Vets could make a little noise as the year goes on.

Sophomore Tess Bussick is leading the way so far, after a strong debut campaign last year. She finished 30th in Monday’s meet in a time of 24:38.

“She did a nice job last year and she’s just a good athlete,” Bayha said.

Senior Elizabeth White has been in the second spot for Vets, with newcomer Charlotte Rivers, a junior, climbing right to third. Senior Sarah Grace Plante, a four-year contributor, is slotting in at fourth.

“She’s our senior, kind of been our mainstay for four years now,” Bayha said. “She’s always up there.”

Junior Jeannie Nguyen, junior Kyle Maziuk and senior Gillian Tilley rounded out the lineup on Monday.

The ’Canes have one more dual meet before turning their attention to the postseason, where they’ll see where the improvement takes them.

They’ll keep working.

“I really like coaching this group,” Bayha said. “They work really hard. If they can put it all together on the right day, maybe they can pull something off. We’re really working toward the meets late in the season.”

Pilgrim off to fast start

Two meets into the season, the Pilgrim girls’ cross country looks like a contender.

The Pats are 3-1, as they opened up two weeks ago with wins over Mt. Pleasant and Hope and were narrowly edged by Coventry 24-34.

This Monday, they defeated Cranston East 19-40. After going 7-4 last season, Pilgrim is on track to potentially improve upon that and make some noise with its young, yet experienced team.

“I think they could, as a team, make states,” said boys’ coach Frank Notarianni, who was filling in for head coach Mike Xiarhos at Monday’s meet. “I think they should be in real good shape.”

Pilgrim didn’t qualify for states last season as a team, but it did have one individual there in current sophomore Bryana Mullin. Last year, as a freshman, Mullin took 55th place.

She’s running this season, just as she did last year, as the team’s No. 2 runner, and she came in second at Monday’s dual meet.

“She’s been really strong,” Notarianni said.

In the top spot is junior Danika Wayss. A track standout as well as a cross country standout, Wayss was the team’s best runner last year but missed the state meet due to injury. She’s back now and has finished in first place in both of Pilgrim’s dual meets thus far.

She has a chance to do some real damage on the state scene in her third year with the varsity group.

“I would think, knowing her time, she’d be top 20, if not top 10,” Notarianni said.

Running in the third spot for the Pats is senior Alexia Maxwell, and she came in third on Monday. The team’s fourth runner has been sophomore Maranda Duffie, who finished fifth on Monday.

Senior Nicole Gauthier is serving as a captain after running last year and she’s in the top group as well. Freshman Mackenzie Fraser and senior Jaycene Chattele are also in the mix, along with senior Mary Kate Agnew.

Injuries to freshman Sophi Carter and Katherine Richardson, as well as senior Julissa Gonzalez have changed the team’s complexion some, but the Pats are still running solidly in the early going.

“They all ran a really strong race today,” Notarianni said.

It all adds up to a group that has some standouts at the top and the depth to compete as a team.

The Pats are planning on taking a jump in the right direction.

“They lost a few girls,” Notarianni said. “A couple girls that were pretty fast that are only doing track now. But Mike is doing a really good job with them, getting them prepared.

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