The Annual Jeff Stone Memorial Cross Country Runs were again held on Columbus day at Sachem East with over 250 young athletes taking part.
Open to grades K through 8, the older grades (4-8) run a 1 mile course using the fields and trails while the K-3 students participate in a 400 meter fun run on the fields.
All participants earn a finishers ribbon, with the top 10 in each one mile race also earning a coveted Jeff Stone Memorial X-C Run T-Shirt. Beautiful weather and high quality fields made the individual and team races not only exciting, but also very fast.
The meet started off with 35 boys taking the line in the 7th and 8th grade race. Brice O’Hara of Sagamore won in 6:11, leading 6 runners under 7 minutes on the challenging course at East. Jordan Messino of Sequoya led her team to the top 3 places in the Girls 7th and 8th grade race with the top 7 finishing within a 30 second span. Caroline O’Brien of Seneca won the Girls 6th Grade race, and James Demsen of Samoset won a very competitive 6th grade boys race. The Middle School team race was the closest it’s ever been, with Sequoya (19) edging Sagamore (18), Seneca (15), and Samoset(14) with the most total finishers under 9 minutes, thus earning the Tom Toscano Trophy as the Champion middle school.
Although no meet records were set, Abby Carroll of Chippewa was just 5 second off Caroline O’Brien of Nokomis’s 2010 meet record (yes, the same Carolyn O’Brien who won the 6th grade race) as she ran a stellar 7:19, and defended her individual title from 2011, when, as a 3rd grader, she raced up a grade and won the 4th grade race. Abby led Chippewa to 5 of the top 10 places in that race to easily take the team win. Daniel Muller of Lynwood edged Daniel Morel of Grundy in a sprint finish where they were both timed in 7:28. Reese Pedra of Chippewa, in 7th place, led his team to a close victory over Tecumseh as Chippewa, with 2 team titles, again won the Robert McNeill Trophy as the top Elementary School. Bridget Abraudes of Merrimac edged Molly Ramirez of Wenonah in the 5th Grade Girls race, and although Brendon Glasser of Tecumseh’s 3rd place finish led Tecumseh to the 5th Grade Boy’s team title, James Smith of Chippewa was the individual winner.
Proceeds from the races help to fund the Jeff Stone Memorial Scholarships, awarded each year to Cross Country runners from North and East that best represent the ideals of hard work, committment, and contribution to the greater good, that were so important to Coach Stone. In addition, monies raised through the Charlie Johnson K-3 Fun Run help fund the Charlie Johnson Scholarships.
Here are the top results from each division of the event:
- 4th grade boys: Daniel Muller, Lynwood, 7:28
- 4th grade girls: Abby Carroll, Chippewa, 7:19
- 5th grade boys: James Smith, Chippewa, 6:43
- 5th grade girls: Bridget Abraudes, Merrimac, 7:07
- 6th grade boys: James Demsen, Samoset, 6:40
- 6th grade girls: Carolina O’Brien, Seneca, 7:13
- 7-8 grade boys: Brice O’Hara, Sequoya, 6:11
- 7-8 grade girls: Jordan Messino, Sagamore, 6:42